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Hayward
The sounds about you increase in volume and intensity as surely, the battles underway get more dire and emotions get further strained, neither side willing to back down. For most, failure is most decisively not the option, and no one is prepared to be a holder of that title. Further unease grips your thoughts as you spy some of the Pok&#233;mon battles beginning to spill into fisticuffs, while others result in exchanges so violent you turn away wincing. Nevertheless, until you can deal with your current situation there is little else in your priority list at the moment. Revolving for a moment to take his aim, Forteo squints against the throbbing sensations in his eyes as Renalex looks upwards at the silver celestial orb above, but even as she starts to execute her second Howl Forteo comes in with his Rapid Spin, slamming into the Poochyena's jaw while he tries blinking away the sand in conjunction to oscillating the particles away. Amidst all this, Forteo plants his face into Renalex's fur, and a moment later you hear the sound of bark creaking. Yelpingly, Renalex tears away from Forteo's Bug Bite, losing several strands of her dark fur in the process, clearly disturbed by how an apparently mouthless creature can carry out a Bug Bite. As Forteo appears to blink away the last of the sands, Renalex cowers behind the cloak of her none-too-pleased trainer.

"Renalex! Get back in there!" the young woman half barks, half snarls. "Pin it to the ground with your Tackle! I mean NOW!"

While you watch, you notice the girl's cloak shift back, before a lunge has Renalex tumbling forward; it looks much like the Rapan kicked her Poochyena to prove her point. Briefly glancing sorely at her owner, Renalex turns back to Forteo, snarling in defiance as she comes charging. Prepared for this, Forteo goes ahead; the act of dealing super-effective damage having boosted his confidence a good amount. As Poochyena dives, Forteo bounds up slightly to deliver another Bug Bite to his opponent, this time on her forehead. More yelping is heard as Renalex runs about in circles, trying her darnedest to break off the pine cone now afflicting her head, and if not for the Lacunan situation the sight might have been almost hilarious. On the other side Renalex's trainer stamps her feet in utter disbelief and rage at her Pok&#233;mon, but if one thing is for sure, Renalex seems to have lost sight, track, or motivation of the battle. A decisive move might be all it takes for you to clinch victory here...

Deep within the heart of Lacuna City, the trainer Benjamin Hale stood in the crowded Public Forum, somehow magicked out of the future to this ancient civilization by the power of the glowing Moon Stone, marveling at how noisy the surrounding skirmishes had become. Surveying the nearby match-ups with his grey-green eyes, Ben spied two trainers resort to a fist fight in order to decide the outcome of their battle, and he bolted in shock at violent things had become. Shaking his head from side-to-side and massaging his temples, Ben quickly cleared his thoughts and shifted his attention back to the situation at hand. He knew there would be time to figure out the state of affairs in the divided society later. For now, he and the Pineco Forteo had more pressing matters to attend to.

Eyes narrowed to slits in an effort to see better and ease his pain, Forteo Rapidly Spun across the battlefield and collided with Renelax as she cocked her head back and Howled to the moon. How the squinting Bagworm ever found the Poochyena, Ben wasn’t sure, but find her Forteo did; delivering a stunning blow in the process. As Forteo rammed into Renelax, he quickly buried his woody face into her furry neck. Before the monochromatic wolfpup could completely recover from the effects of the Pineco’s dizzying onslaught, Forteo dealt her a stinging Bug Bite. With a piteous cry, Renelax tore free from Forteo’s clenched jaw and scampered to safety. The last iotas of sand were whirled out of the Bagworm Pokemon’s eyes as he revolved merrily on his bottomspike, temporarily celebrating. From the sidelines, Ben breathed out a grateful sigh that his tiny partner could once again see clearly.

Whimpering painfully, Renelax wasted no time in scrambling behind the long, flowing garment of his black-clad trainer. "Renalex! Get back in there! Pin it to the ground with your Tackle! I mean NOW!" the female Rapa follower half-barked, half-snarled as she cruelly kicked the little Poochyena forward. Snarling, Renelax rushed at Forteo. Ben cheered as the Pineco dodged nimbly and delivered another super-effective Bug Bite to the head of the surprised Poochyena. Wearing an anguished expression, Poochyena raced around the little, makeshift battlefield, trying to shake off her tormentor. As Ben watched Renelax’s aggravated trainer stamp her foot, he realized that just like her Poochyena, she was beginning to lose her cool.

Ben’s stomach lurched as he recalled how the hooded woman had cruelly treated her Pokemon, and the spiteful glance Renelax had given her in return. From the moment he laid eyes on the cloaked Rapan, Ben had sensed a sinister vibe that had filled him with unease. Now he knew what had caused it. She was a bully, plain and simple. Ben wondered if the rest of Rapa’s followers were anything like her. He suspected they were, and felt sincerely glad he had chosen to side with Ikira and the disciples of Sauros. Ikira! For the first time since the battle had started, Ben wondered what had become of her. He figured she was probably somewhere close, facing off against a fellow follower of Rapa. Wherever she was, he hoped she was okay. Silently, Ben recommitted himself to doing whatever it took to stop the cruel Rapans.

Dragging a hand through his short, brown hair Ben thought hard to come up with a plan. The woman and her partner were visibly frustrated, and he could tell that he and Forteo had them on the ropes. He didn’t think that it would take much to finish Renelax off, especially if the woman’s anger got the best of her, and caused her to make a foolish mistake. After a moment of consideration, Ben issued his instructions to the patiently-waiting Forteo. “Okay, mate,” he began. “Brilliant work so far. Let’s see if we can finish them off now. Wait for Renelax to make the first move, then dodge with RAPID SPIN! After that, hopefully one more BUG BITE will do it!”

While Forteo fixed Renelax with a determined look, Ben suddenly felt sorry for the Bite Pokemon. Having been kicked once already this battle, he sereiously doubted that was the first abuse the Poochyena had ever received. At that moment a thought flashed in Ben’s mind. “One more thing, mate!” he hollered to Forteo. “I want you to be ready to defend Renelax with PROTECT if her trainer tries to beat her again!” Ben was determined to prevent any more ill-treatment to the poor Poochyena. Surprised at this new direction Forteo turned a curious expression to Ben, but the teenage trainer just nodded and Forteo quickly prepared himself to attack.

Food Guy
Musing on the upgrade in difficulty between battle challenges, you delegate your Ledian to active stations along with her first mission orders. Flapping her wings at Supersonic speed, Dot succeeds in releasing a sound wave at obfusticating frequency that washes over Skorupi, who immediately starts ambling about with proverbial spirals in its eyes. Keeping up with her swift routine, Dot proceeds on to throw a Punch at Mach speed, a brief explosion of air erupting from Dot's attacking hand, but the hit appears to smack against Skorupi's body with as much effect as a puff of air -- Skorupi's venomous insectoid affinity rendering the attack severely weakened. Wildly waving its claws, Skorupi begins firing a Poison Sting around, but its state of addlement results in the toxic needles flying willy-nilly, managing to strike anywhere but Dot and her teammates -- dodges, instinctively executed by you and your Pokémon, aiding the lack of damage inflicted.

Zooming back into the fray, Dot continues by executing her Comet Punch technique, landing a series of quick blows onto the enemy's back, careful to avoid making contact with Skorupi's tail, but as the last knuckle sandwich flings Skorupi backwards you notice the confusion beaten out of its eyes. Springing at Dot with surprising acrobatics, Skorupi succeeds in landing a Bite on Dot's left foot, prompting the Ledian to attempt shaking off the poisonous irritant, which she does after a few good moments of violent tossing. Not quite done with Dot, you watch as Skorupi shoots a Leer at Dot's pained gaze, causing her to shudder briefly as her arms droop a little. This little bugger's a feisty one, to be sure...

Karmas observed the battle, hoping that Dot had the power to win. Dot had started flapping her wings and soon enough she released a sound wave at Skorupi, which was successful in confusing the pokemon. Not even pausing a little the ladybug pokemon threw a punch towards her opponent, sending out a brief explosion of air. Skorupi, however, just brushed the attack off due to its poison affiliation. The Skorupi began to fire Poison Stings, but due to its confusion sent them flying everywhere, Dot, Watermelon and Karmas easily dodging all of them.

Dot continued the battle by successfully executing a Comet Punch, hitting her opponent several times in the back, taking careful attention to stay clear of Skorupi's stinger. As Dot landed her last attack she noticed that Skorupi no longer looked confused, which was justified when it sprang at Dot and landed a Bite on Dot's left foot. The Ledian let out a small scream of pain and started to rapidly shake her leg, in an attempt to shake off the scorpion pokemon that was latched onto her foot. Soon Skorupi was shook off, but it wasn't finished with her yet, shooting a Leer at Dot.

"Are you alright Dot?" asked Karmas.

The ladybug nodded her head, wincing as her foot moved slightly.

"Okay then," started Karmas. "Start off with a Safeguard to prevent poisoning, then use a double shot of Comet Punch!"

Hayward
Multiple concerns are running through you, but there is little else you can do unless you deal with Renalex and her trainer; the former still trying to tear Forteo off her head. Eventually Renalex succeeds, flinging Forteo into the air with a vigorous shake of her neck, but Forteo is ready in softening the blow of being a living projectile by kicking up a Rapid Spin, transferring gravitational momentum to land acutely on the dirt.

Once again with her teeth blazing with flame, Renalex makes her feral way towards your Pineco, but the determined Bug-type is ready and waiting. Still oscillating regularly on the tip of his behind, Forteo darts to the side as Renalex comes snapping, making an arc about a metre in radius as he spins out of the blast zone. Grinding to a brief stop as he prepares to change direction, he rams back into Renalex with full force, slamming a final Bug Bite to the Dark-type's side. Another howl is heard from Renalex, not of the technique variety, and as she keels over on the ground it's distinct that the Poochyena can't possibly continue her assault. Level up for Forteo.

"Keh!" Spitting onto the dirt, the enemy trainer flourishes a PokéBall from her long, jagged sleeve, withdrawing Renalex into her containment orb without much further ado -- thankfully for Renalex's sake, you briefly note. "You win this round, kid. Things won't be so pleasant for you next time we -- KAAAGH!"

Whatever you expected out of the girl in the cloak, it certainly isn't doubling over in apparent pain. As she claws the dirt grunting and groaning in agonising struggle, you almost reach out to support her before series of equally chilling screams reach your ears. All around you, Pokémon and trainers, Rapans and Sarosans alike have hit the floor in various displays of what appear to be bizarre epileptic movements, and even as the seconds pass you witness more citizens of Lacuna succumb to the strange phenomenon. Bodies collapse, joining the symphony of pain wracking the community, and as another cloaked figure and robed acolyte fall next to you fear like nothing you've ever experience grips you. You are at a distinct loss as of what to do, but nothing prepares what happens next: before you've noticed it you suddenly discover each person in the forum start to take on a peculiar aura of their own, and for some reason it seems to be colour-coordinated: each Lacunan dressed in Saros' religious clothing has been taken over by a chartreuse light while every citizen clad in Rapa's cloaks has started sporting a crimson glow.

As you watch on, completely flabbergasted, the auras begin to swirl like smoke from a fire, in patterns not unlike blood pumped from a heart and pushed into vessels. A soft, united groan seems to be issued, and you feel this coming not from the individuals strewn about you, but seemingly from the core, the heart of Lacuna itself. Even as you play the part of the audience the members of the court suddenly start levitating off ground level, gently floating into the sky like flower petals into the wind, pushed to the external circumference. Before long a formation is created above you; a pair of glowing arcs composed by Lacuna's citizens, red on one side and green on the other. At the centre of it all, however, floats a pair of two people from each side facing each other, and straining to see who they are you are shocked to recognise three of them -- Kiru and Renalex's trainer on one end, while Ikira and a boy you don't recognise stand against them; the latter with slightly spiked blue hair and light brown eyes. What separates them clearly from the others, however, isn't just their positioning: while the other Lacunas float with their backs bent over like lurching zombies, the four adolescents in the centre of it all each bear glassy expressions on their faces as they stare squarely at their apparent opposition. Before you can figure out what this all means, however, the two-toned auras appear to gather above the people of Lacuna, congregating in two separate masses of colour. As they twist and turn you notice them forming distinct shapes, and with a sickening lurch you seem to recognise the one forming out of the green mists: the curves resembling arcs and cresents; the sharp, shapely formation surrounding the graceful form. On the other side the vermillion gases start twisting into a cloak-like shape, creating the figure of a wraithly being, tattered zigzags at the bottom and smoky pillars adorning the top. Even as you feel the breath being squeezed out of you to the tip of your tongue, you can't help but devote full attention to the now distinct shapes above it all, and with a jolt you recognise the figure from the green as the entity that had stood guard over the Moon Temple's healing fountain. She -- at least, you're most certain this creature must be a she -- floats opposite her apparent foe; a monster somehow demonic in appearance with a red, jagged jaw formation and spiralling cloud-like head.

"It's been far too long," you hear a baritone saying, and somehow you realise that it's the dark creature speaking, though his mouth doesn't seem to be moving. "You've held your reign over these fools for so long, and the moment that something starts swinging towards my favour... trust you to have tried pulling something like this off."

"You flatter me." The curvy creature seems to speak this time, in a serene mezzo-soprano, but through her calm voice you sense a powerful urge of aggression. "You're one to talk yourself. Did you think no one would notice your trick with the healing fountain?"

"Ha! Solrock calling the Lunatone Rock-typed," sneers the entity in black. "All I've done is try to even the odds. A far cry from what you've tried to pull against me, all these years, all this time."

"Enough." You feel an energy ripple as the calm, crescent creature says this. "Nothing can save you now. We end this battle, tonight!"

"Save? As if I needed saving from the likes of you." Gathering a pulsing wave of grievous power in his claws, the dark monster glares angrily at his opponent, shining energy focusing in front of her as well. "Prepare yourself!"

"PSYCHIC!"

"DARK PULSE!"

Instinctively you try to call out, to scream out to the collection of individuals above you, but even as you try and the energy blasts collide, a wave of white seems to override everything, much like when you had touched the Moon Stone in the forum which had started this entire debacle. Your body lies suspended in light, but somehow you feel as though a tsunami had just come over you, overwhelming you in its full magnitude and petrifying the very life force within you. Little else but fear and uncertainty grips your mind, and just as you almost feel forces of insanity overcome you completely the colour appears to return to the world. You are left within the forum as you had been earlier, but this time the reincarnation of the plaza is completely empty, save for you. A strange atmosphere has set in the courtyard bathed in the indigo of night, and the whole landscape almost feels dreamlike.

"Benjamin Hale."

A third voice of unknown identity echoes through every fibre of your body, deep and booming, and even as your mind wonders a dazzling starburst appears ahead of you, warping into a quadruped form. Niggles at your mind suggest that this isn't the first time you've seen this new creature, and then it hits you -- it has long been said that a strange, panther-like creature was a source of Lacunan worship since the civilisation began, millenia ago. It is difficult against the glow, but you recognise the being as the white, unidentifiable statue that you had seen lining the halls of the Moon Temple. While its depictions were about the size of a full grown man, the real thing seems to be at least ten feet tall, and an unusual series of arcs appear to form about its stomach.

"Benjamin Hale," the voice repeats, and you know that unquestioningly, the creature is addressing you. "That you are here tonight is no coincidence. You alone bear the weight of restoring the balance within Lacuna. You have seen much, but you have yet to see everything... And, I am afraid there is still much, much to see.

"You might already have realised this, Benjamin Hale... the secret to Lacuna lies in its history," continues the entity. "You understand how Saros and Rapa have sought to seek control over the other, and the conflict has culminated in the tragedy you saw tonight. Unless something is done to reunite the key, Lacuna will be lost here, tonight. Forever within the sands, never to be heard of again until long past its time. Until your time, Benjamin.

"There is little else I can reveal at this point. You are the only one who can reunite Lacuna as the world knows it, and seek its salvation deep within the two temples. That of Saros, and Rapa," adds the shining being. "However, if you were to wish to return to your own time, you only need to state so, and it will be done. Until now you have only borne witness to events long before your time, and there is nothing to be done when it comes to the natural ends of worlds. But whatever your decision, Benjamin Hale... make it with conviction. Either to return to the sanctuary of your own world, or seek the unknown within the Rapa's Temple first, or the Moon Temple. Out of three, you must choose."

It seems the weight of this world, rather literally, has been placed upon your shoulders. What will you choose to do?

The Isle of Talas

The Sphinx

Food Guy
Noting the dangers of falling under status conditions, you command Dot to kick in her Safeguard, to which the Ledian gladly complies. A shimmering series of energy rings rise up from below Dot's shadow, surrounding her insectine form and giving her a faint glow. This, however, leaves Skorupi free to perform its next move; a Pin Missile storm fired from the tips of its claws and stinger. The needles of Bug-type power smash against Dot, but the painful jabbing aside you notice that little detriment has been apparently inflicted upon your Pokémon.

Slightly miffed at the sneaky manouvre of her foe, Dot proceeds to go on with her turn, arms swinging in for a Comet Punch hurricane. The blows come raining down onto Skorupi, battering it like hailstones, but a yelp from Dot catches your attention: seemingly, as she swung a knuckle at it, Skorupi dove in for a timely Bite to Dot's hand, crushing down like a man-trap. Screaming in sharp agony, Dot flails as best she can to get the irritating insect off, eventually bumping it repeatedly against the ground to shake off Skorupi. Clutching her hand in apparent fear, Dot trembles as she massages her hurt arm ruefully, and you notice a couple of things: the first being Dot's painfully flinched expression, and the second being the oddly severe injury dealt to her hand -- even given the scenario it looks far too strong for a Skorupi bite. Possibly... could it be Skorupi's Sniper ability, you wonder, but Skorupi is making hay while the sun shines. A jab in its arms again with a second bout of Acupressure, and you somehow sense that with this poke, Skorupi's eyesight seems to have become sharper, as though its accuracy took a boost this time...

Hayward
Multiple concerns are running through you, but there is little else you can do unless you deal with Renalex and her trainer; the former still trying to tear Forteo off her head. Eventually Renalex succeeds, flinging Forteo into the air with a vigorous shake of her neck, but Forteo is ready in softening the blow of being a living projectile by kicking up a Rapid Spin, transferring gravitational momentum to land acutely on the dirt.

Once again with her teeth blazing with flame, Renalex makes her feral way towards your Pineco, but the determined Bug-type is ready and waiting. Still oscillating regularly on the tip of his behind, Forteo darts to the side as Renalex comes snapping, making an arc about a metre in radius as he spins out of the blast zone. Grinding to a brief stop as he prepares to change direction, he rams back into Renalex with full force, slamming a final Bug Bite to the Dark-type's side. Another howl is heard from Renalex, not of the technique variety, and as she keels over on the ground it's distinct that the Poochyena can't possibly continue her assault. Level up for Forteo.

"Keh!" Spitting onto the dirt, the enemy trainer flourishes a PokéBall from her long, jagged sleeve, withdrawing Renalex into her containment orb without much further ado -- thankfully for Renalex's sake, you briefly note. "You win this round, kid. Things won't be so pleasant for you next time we -- KAAAGH!"

Whatever you expected out of the girl in the cloak, it certainly isn't doubling over in apparent pain. As she claws the dirt grunting and groaning in agonising struggle, you almost reach out to support her before series of equally chilling screams reach your ears. All around you, Pokémon and trainers, Rapans and Sarosans alike have hit the floor in various displays of what appear to be bizarre epileptic movements, and even as the seconds pass you witness more citizens of Lacuna succumb to the strange phenomenon. Bodies collapse, joining the symphony of pain wracking the community, and as another cloaked figure and robed acolyte fall next to you fear like nothing you've ever experience grips you. You are at a distinct loss as of what to do, but nothing prepares what happens next: before you've noticed it you suddenly discover each person in the forum start to take on a peculiar aura of their own, and for some reason it seems to be colour-coordinated: each Lacunan dressed in Saros' religious clothing has been taken over by a chartreuse light while every citizen clad in Rapa's cloaks has started sporting a crimson glow.

As you watch on, completely flabbergasted, the auras begin to swirl like smoke from a fire, in patterns not unlike blood pumped from a heart and pushed into vessels. A soft, united groan seems to be issued, and you feel this coming not from the individuals strewn about you, but seemingly from the core, the heart of Lacuna itself. Even as you play the part of the audience the members of the court suddenly start levitating off ground level, gently floating into the sky like flower petals into the wind, pushed to the external circumference. Before long a formation is created above you; a pair of glowing arcs composed by Lacuna's citizens, red on one side and green on the other. At the centre of it all, however, floats a pair of two people from each side facing each other, and straining to see who they are you are shocked to recognise three of them -- Kiru and Renalex's trainer on one end, while Ikira and a boy you don't recognise stand against them; the latter with slightly spiked blue hair and light brown eyes. What separates them clearly from the others, however, isn't just their positioning: while the other Lacunas float with their backs bent over like lurching zombies, the four adolescents in the centre of it all each bear glassy expressions on their faces as they stare squarely at their apparent opposition. Before you can figure out what this all means, however, the two-toned auras appear to gather above the people of Lacuna, congregating in two separate masses of colour. As they twist and turn you notice them forming distinct shapes, and with a sickening lurch you seem to recognise the one forming out of the green mists: the curves resembling arcs and cresents; the sharp, shapely formation surrounding the graceful form. On the other side the vermillion gases start twisting into a cloak-like shape, creating the figure of a wraithly being, tattered zigzags at the bottom and smoky pillars adorning the top. Even as you feel the breath being squeezed out of you to the tip of your tongue, you can't help but devote full attention to the now distinct shapes above it all, and with a jolt you recognise the figure from the green as the entity that had stood guard over the Moon Temple's healing fountain. She -- at least, you're most certain this creature must be a she -- floats opposite her apparent foe; a monster somehow demonic in appearance with a red, jagged jaw formation and spiralling cloud-like head.

"It's been far too long," you hear a baritone saying, and somehow you realise that it's the dark creature speaking, though his mouth doesn't seem to be moving. "You've held your reign over these fools for so long, and the moment that something starts swinging towards my favour... trust you to have tried pulling something like this off."

"You flatter me." The curvy creature seems to speak this time, in a serene mezzo-soprano, but through her calm voice you sense a powerful urge of aggression. "You're one to talk yourself. Did you think no one would notice your trick with the healing fountain?"

"Ha! Solrock calling the Lunatone Rock-typed," sneers the entity in black. "All I've done is try to even the odds. A far cry from what you've tried to pull against me, all these years, all this time."

"Enough." You feel an energy ripple as the calm, crescent creature says this. "Nothing can save you now. We end this battle, tonight!"

"Save? As if I needed saving from the likes of you." Gathering a pulsing wave of grievous power in his claws, the dark monster glares angrily at his opponent, shining energy focusing in front of her as well. "Prepare yourself!"

"PSYCHIC!"

"DARK PULSE!"

Instinctively you try to call out, to scream out to the collection of individuals above you, but even as you try and the energy blasts collide, a wave of white seems to override everything, much like when you had touched the Moon Stone in the forum which had started this entire debacle. Your body lies suspended in light, but somehow you feel as though a tsunami had just come over you, overwhelming you in its full magnitude and petrifying the very life force within you. Little else but fear and uncertainty grips your mind, and just as you almost feel forces of insanity overcome you completely the colour appears to return to the world. You are left within the forum as you had been earlier, but this time the reincarnation of the plaza is completely empty, save for you. A strange atmosphere has set in the courtyard bathed in the indigo of night, and the whole landscape almost feels dreamlike.

"Benjamin Hale."

A third voice of unknown identity echoes through every fibre of your body, deep and booming, and even as your mind wonders a dazzling starburst appears ahead of you, warping into a quadruped form. Niggles at your mind suggest that this isn't the first time you've seen this new creature, and then it hits you -- it has long been said that a strange, panther-like creature was a source of Lacunan worship since the civilisation began, millenia ago. It is difficult against the glow, but you recognise the being as the white, unidentifiable statue that you had seen lining the halls of the Moon Temple. While its depictions were about the size of a full grown man, the real thing seems to be at least ten feet tall, and an unusual series of arcs appear to form about its stomach.

"Benjamin Hale," the voice repeats, and you know that unquestioningly, the creature is addressing you. "That you are here tonight is no coincidence. You alone bear the weight of restoring the balance within Lacuna. You have seen much, but you have yet to see everything... And, I am afraid there is still much, much to see.

"You might already have realised this, Benjamin Hale... the secret to Lacuna lies in its history," continues the entity. "You understand how Saros and Rapa have sought to seek control over the other, and the conflict has culminated in the tragedy you saw tonight. Unless something is done to reunite the key, Lacuna will be lost here, tonight. Forever within the sands, never to be heard of again until long past its time. Until your time, Benjamin.

"There is little else I can reveal at this point. You are the only one who can reunite Lacuna as the world knows it, and seek its salvation deep within the two temples. That of Saros, and Rapa," adds the shining being. "However, if you were to wish to return to your own time, you only need to state so, and it will be done. Until now you have only borne witness to events long before your time, and there is nothing to be done when it comes to the natural ends of worlds. But whatever your decision, Benjamin Hale... make it with conviction. Either to return to the sanctuary of your own world, or seek the unknown within the Rapa's Temple first, or the Moon Temple. Out of three, you must choose."

It seems the weight of this world, rather literally, has been placed upon your shoulders. What will you choose to do?

Ben’s mind raced as he stood facing the thin, hooded Rapan woman and her Poochyena, Renelax. He had no idea where Ikira and Priest Mensa were, or how they were faring. On top of that, he still felt a twinge of guilt as he recalled their parting with Kiru. Then there was the impending civil unrest to deal with as well. Clearing his mind, Ben pushed his worries aside temporarily and refocused on the task at hand. Renelax had succeeded in dislodging Forteo, launching him across the battlefield like a woody missile. However, by Rapidly Spinning, Forteo was able to cushion his landing.

Renelax’s incisors began to emanate a fiery aura as she charged wildly towards Forteo. Ben realized that with the order for a Fire Fang, the acolyte of Rapa was going for their proverbial jugular, literally, pyro-manically. Still revolving on his bottomspike, Forteo wore a resolute expression as the Bite Pokemon suddenly lunged at him. At the last second though, the little bagworm zigzagged out of harm’s way. Looping around, he delivered a stinging Bug Bite to the monochromatic wolfpup’s furry hide. As Renelax let out a pained wail and toppled over, Ben knew that Forteo had won. As the tiny pinecone merrily rotated in a celebration of victory, Ben let out a cheer and danced around. After another happy moment, Ben turned a satisfied grin to Forteo, recalled the Bagworm Pokemon, and stuffed his Christmas Ball back into the fibre tote bag slung over his shoulder.

"Keh!" Ben’s adversary spat onto the ground and producing her own Pokeball from within one of the sleeves of her dark, sweeping garment. Ben let out a grateful breath as the Rapan disciple recalled the fainted Poochyena, sparing it further abuse. "You win this round, kid. Things won't be so pleasant for you next time we -- KAAAGH!"

Suddenly the Rapan follower clutched her sides and doubled over in pain. A look of concern spread across Ben’s face as he watched the Rapan girl convulse violently on the dusty ground. Even though she had been his enemy only moments ago, Ben was sincerely worried, and he cautiously reached out a hand, afraid the epileptic attack might be something more severe. Before he could touch her however, the cacophonous sound of pained screams rent the air, and Ben bolted in shock to see the public forum filled with Rapans, Saurosan, and Pokemon alike in the throes of similar, agonising seizures. Struck numb by what he was witnessing, Ben was frozen to the spot as he watched the citizens of Lacuna suffering directly in front of his grey-green eyes. Without warning, the followers of Rapa and Sauros began to emit unique glows, crimson and chartreuse respectively.

Ben was completely beside himself with surprise as the glows suddenly whirled and swirled together into two separate cloud-like masses in the sky. At that instant, what felt like a groan rose from the heart of the city and washed over Ben. Eyes wide with surprise, he continued to watch the miraculous events play out in the ancient city. It seemed to Ben that the entire population of Lacuna had fallen under some kind of enchantment, as all around him, the still-convulsing bodies of Rapa and Sauros followers alike began to levitate; congregating in the sky. Gradually, Ben felt his own feet leave the ground; the same magical force apparently summoning him upward into the sky, as well. As he joined the crowd of suspended, corpse-like bodies in sky, Ben spied Kiru and Renelax’s trainer, along with Ikira and blue-haired boy, isolated in the center of the mob. The two different-hued clouds continued to congeal on opposite sides of the heavens, and Ben gaped as he saw two stikingly-opposite beings materialise out of the them. One black and ragged, the other serene and crescent-shaped.

So unbelievable were the events of the past few moments that Ben wasn’t sure that any of it, including the Pokemon in front of him, were even real. Maybe he was dreaming. Maybe he was hallucinating. Maybe it was a nightmare. One minute he had been guiding his Pineco partner Forteo to victory, the next he was floating in midair; suspended between earth and sky. Ben felt as though he had lived a thousand years in an instant. It seemed too amazing to be true, and yet, unmistakably, it was happening.

"It's been far too long," Ben heard the dark creature say, despite it not moving its mouth. "You've held your reign over these fools for so long, and the moment that something starts swinging towards my favour... trust you to have tried pulling something like this off."

"You flatter me." The crescent being replied, and Ben sensed that it was ready to fight, despite its melodious voice. "You're one to talk yourself. Did you think no one would notice your trick with the healing fountain?"

"Ha! Solrock calling the Lunatone Rock-typed," The first creature sneered. "All I've done is try to even the odds. A far cry from what you've tried to pull against me, all these years, all this time."

"Enough." The second being replied, and Ben felt the atmosphere around him bristling. "Nothing can save you now. We end this battle, tonight!"

"Save? As if I needed saving from the likes of you." The dark monster snarled, readying itself to attack. Ben quickly glanced at the shimmery creature and noticed that she, too, was moving to stike. He had a bad feeling about this. "Prepare yourself!"

"PSYCHIC!"

"DARK PULSE!"

Reflexively, Ben opened his mouth to warn the Lacunas, but no sound came. The energy blasts collided in a brilliant flash, and as the resultant energy shockwave washed over him like a flood, his world went white. Feelings of alarm and terror filled Ben as he was no longer able to tell if he was even alive. And then suddenly, he found himself on the ground in the Lacuna public forum once again. The only difference, he noticed was that, now the city was deserted, as it had been when he and Medeo had explored it in the present. Ben felt like he was watching a bad dream he couldn’t wake up from. Suddenly he heard a disembodied voice, ringing in his head, calling his name.

"Benjamin Hale."

As the speaker became visible, Ben found himself with the most awe-inspiring Pokemon he had ever met. Like the lavender, crescent-shaped Pokemon of the fountain, Ben realized he had seen it before. Suddenly it came to him, its image had adorned the halls and walls of the Moon Temple. This was the beloved Pokemon their Legends had spoken of. Ben bowed respectfully to the majestic monster.

"Benjamin Hale," repeated the voice, and Ben knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that the being was speaking to him. "That you are here tonight is no coincidence. You alone bear the weight of restoring the balance within Lacuna. You have seen much, but you have yet to see everything... And, I am afraid there is still much, much to see.

"You might already have realised this, Benjamin Hale... the secret to Lacuna lies in its history," the being continued. "You understand how Saros and Rapa have sought to seek control over the other, and the conflict has culminated in the tragedy you saw tonight. Unless something is done to reunite the key, Lacuna will be lost here, tonight. Forever within the sands, never to be heard of again until long past its time. Until your time, Benjamin.

"There is little else I can reveal at this point. You are the only one who can reunite Lacuna as the world knows it, and seek its salvation deep within the two temples. That of Saros, and Rapa," the shining being added. "However, if you were to wish to return to your own time, you only need to state so, and it will be done. Until now you have only borne witness to events long before your time, and there is nothing to be done when it comes to the natural ends of worlds. But whatever your decision, Benjamin Hale... make it with conviction. Either to return to the sanctuary of your own world, or seek the unknown within the Rapa's Temple first, or the Moon Temple. Out of three, you must choose."

When he had finally overcome his initial feelings of astonishment and fright, and had once again found his voice he was at a loss for what to say. Hundreds of questions swirled around inside his head like a murky whirlpool. There were so many things he wanted to ask; so many answers he wanted to know. However, the only words that came were, “But I don’t understand…Why me?!” Dragging a hand through his short brown hair, Ben thought hard to figure out why the celestial creature would want him. As his mind momentarily drifted to the diverse collection of multi-colored Pokeballs in his loaned bag, he thought fondly of the Pokemon they contained -- Medeo, Hyneo, Eoneo, and Forteo -- and he asked the mystical being, “Are you sure you have the right person? I used to be in a gang. My friends and I aren’t very strong and we certainly don’t have any special skills. And I’m out of money. Don’t you want a trainer who’s a bit more experienced?”

Pausing briefly, Ben considered his options: return to the familiarity of his own time, or blindly search Sauros’s Shrine and ransack Rapa’s Temple. What he could do to help, Ben hadn’t a clue, and he momentarily contemplated returning to the safety and security of the present. But then when he thought of Ikira and Kiru, of Priest Mensa and all the innocent people of Lacuna who hadn’t been able to make any choice, he realized he couldn’t do nothing. Ben fixed his grey-green eyes on the ethereal entity before him and resolutely nodded. “But, if you’re absolutely certain You have the right person, then I better not waste any more time.” he said. “I’ll start at Sauros’s Temple. I’ve already been there once and know a little of the layout. It’s just that I don’t remember seeing any keys.”

Suddenly Ben had an idea. “I’m sure I’m going to need help -- will you come with me?” he asked hesitantly. “If not, can you please give me something to aid me in my quest, or at least just tell me more about what I’m looking for...”

Hayward
Conscience gets a better hold of you in your deliberation, but doubt and fear continue to linger in your mind. There is no doubt that the task you are about to embark on is daunting, to say the least, and that not all of your questions have been answered does little to calm the apprehension racing in your heart. You implore the seemingly omniscient creature for assistance, and as you finish your sentence you feel a sudden sense of warmth flow from the entity's shining aura. Looking up at its unreadable face you can almost swear that this unknown being is smiling at you.

"You have spoken bravely, Benjamin Hale. You have chosen to fight for the well-being of others above yourself; a most commendable characteristic," it says. "I sense the hesitation in you, Benjamin Hale; however I am afraid I cannot be of direct assistance and intervention in your task. Forces are working against each other, to tear each other apart as you have so witnessed. To prevent this calamity I will have to call upon all vestiges of my power; a task that however cannot be accomplished without your help, young one.

"The order of the Temples you visit will not be critical, but it is imperative you overcome the obstacles in each and bring back the keys to this location. You will understand what is meant by this, Benjamin, but I must warn you that the keys will not come willingly," advises the quadruped. "That said... there are a few things I can do for you."

With a start you feel the PokéBalls in your satchel start clicking together, bumping about like crisps in a packet, and as you open the bag you note that they've taken on a shine of their very own. Astounded, you watch on for the next few seconds as the glow eventually vanishes.

"Your invaluable comrades have been restored fully for the task you have been entrusted," explains the guardian, and no sooner than it finishes its statement a swirl of light and darkness appears in your left hand. Bringing your palm closer to your face, you watch the energies twist and merge, forming a flat disc with one half white and the other black. Even as you watch, you discover that the arc dividing the two colours is not immobile; it moves from side to side, switching the disc between light and dark presenting an excellent mimicry of the phases of the moon.

"This Lunar Amulet will be your tool in handling the keys. Once the keys have been sufficiently subdued, present the Lunar Amulet. The Amulet will do the rest," the creature adds. "As for the identity of these keys, they will make themselves known. You will know what to do, Benjamin... and above all, do not fret about your own ability."

This final piece of advice ringing in your head, the celestial entity vanishes in a starburst of glittering energy, leaving you alone in the forum once more.

***

Rushing alone through Lacuna is one thing, but having to do it in the apparent dead of night with a mission of life and death to perform is quite another. The streets, the paths of Lacuna appear deserted even as you race along their routes, but your mind remains frantic and active. A profound sense of despair and loss hangs about the area, accentuating the deserted state of it all, and somehow this spurs your run faster than ever. With your memory working into overdrive, you make your way along the road you briefly recall leads to the Moon Temple, and as you round the bend that reveals the religious building you are shocked once again at the sight. A beam of light, seemingly originated from the full moon above you, dazzles the entire establishment in faint blue, melded with spirals of the green energy you remember possessing the crescent deity and her Lacunan underlings.

Drawn by the mystic, blended glows, you race your way up the staircase leading into the first hallway, running through the marble chambers deeply etched by the glittering green, almost taking on a feathery texture of its own. Somehow guided by your subconscious you pass through the junction earlier, skipping the leftbound passage leading to the practice arena and simply going ahead through the central hall. Reaching the end of the arched tunnel, you find yourself in what must be the central chamber of the Moon Temple where citizens of Lacuna must have come to witness the priests and their sermons. The blue light you saw outside graces the very centre of the huge, circular stadiumesque room through a stained glass roof; a platform not so different from the practice arena in dimensions -- roughly a hundred metres in diameter. Most of note, however, is the presence of two figures on the platform, and as you run closer you realise that it's Ikira and the unknown boy you saw earlier next to her. Your presence does not go unnoticed as both young Lacunans turn to look at you; their countenances as expressionless and glassy as you last saw them.

"..." Wordlessly, Ikira and her apparent partner draw PokéBalls from their sides, flinging them in a spookily coordinated flourish, revealing a Clefairy and Roselia onto the floor before you...

Hayward
Conscience gets a better hold of you in your deliberation, but doubt and fear continue to linger in your mind. There is no doubt that the task you are about to embark on is daunting, to say the least, and that not all of your questions have been answered does little to calm the apprehension racing in your heart. You implore the seemingly omniscient creature for assistance, and as you finish your sentence you feel a sudden sense of warmth flow from the entity's shining aura. Looking up at its unreadable face you can almost swear that this unknown being is smiling at you.

"You have spoken bravely, Benjamin Hale. You have chosen to fight for the well-being of others above yourself; a most commendable characteristic," it says. "I sense the hesitation in you, Benjamin Hale; however I am afraid I cannot be of direct assistance and intervention in your task. Forces are working against each other, to tear each other apart as you have so witnessed. To prevent this calamity I will have to call upon all vestiges of my power; a task that however cannot be accomplished without your help, young one.

"The order of the Temples you visit will not be critical, but it is imperative you overcome the obstacles in each and bring back the keys to this location. You will understand what is meant by this, Benjamin, but I must warn you that the keys will not come willingly," advises the quadruped. "That said... there are a few things I can do for you."

With a start you feel the PokéBalls in your satchel start clicking together, bumping about like crisps in a packet, and as you open the bag you note that they've taken on a shine of their very own. Astounded, you watch on for the next few seconds as the glow eventually vanishes.

"Your invaluable comrades have been restored fully for the task you have been entrusted," explains the guardian, and no sooner than it finishes its statement a swirl of light and darkness appears in your left hand. Bringing your palm closer to your face, you watch the energies twist and merge, forming a flat disc with one half white and the other black. Even as you watch, you discover that the arc dividing the two colours is not immobile; it moves from side to side, switching the disc between light and dark presenting an excellent mimicry of the phases of the moon.

"This Lunar Amulet will be your tool in handling the keys. Once the keys have been sufficiently subdued, present the Lunar Amulet. The Amulet will do the rest," the creature adds. "As for the identity of these keys, they will make themselves known. You will know what to do, Benjamin... and above all, do not fret about your own ability."

This final piece of advice ringing in your head, the celestial entity vanishes in a starburst of glittering energy, leaving you alone in the forum once more.

***

Rushing alone through Lacuna is one thing, but having to do it in the apparent dead of night with a mission of life and death to perform is quite another. The streets, the paths of Lacuna appear deserted even as you race along their routes, but your mind remains frantic and active. A profound sense of despair and loss hangs about the area, accentuating the deserted state of it all, and somehow this spurs your run faster than ever. With your memory working into overdrive, you make your way along the road you briefly recall leads to the Moon Temple, and as you round the bend that reveals the religious building you are shocked once again at the sight. A beam of light, seemingly originated from the full moon above you, dazzles the entire establishment in faint blue, melded with spirals of the green energy you remember possessing the crescent deity and her Lacunan underlings.

Drawn by the mystic, blended glows, you race your way up the staircase leading into the first hallway, running through the marble chambers deeply etched by the glittering green, almost taking on a feathery texture of its own. Somehow guided by your subconscious you pass through the junction earlier, skipping the leftbound passage leading to the practice arena and simply going ahead through the central hall. Reaching the end of the arched tunnel, you find yourself in what must be the central chamber of the Moon Temple where citizens of Lacuna must have come to witness the priests and their sermons. The blue light you saw outside graces the very centre of the huge, circular stadiumesque room through a stained glass roof; a platform not so different from the practice arena in dimensions -- roughly a hundred metres in diameter. Most of note, however, is the presence of two figures on the platform, and as you run closer you realise that it's Ikira and the unknown boy you saw earlier next to her. Your presence does not go unnoticed as both young Lacunans turn to look at you; their countenances as expressionless and glassy as you last saw them.

"..." Wordlessly, Ikira and her apparent partner draw PokéBalls from their sides, flinging them in a spookily coordinated flourish, revealing a Clefairy and Roselia onto the floor before you...

As Ben hesitantly finished his request, he sensed a sudden, yet unexplainable warmth begin to radiate from the Legendary Pokemon in front of him. His spirits lifted slightly as the feeling washed over him and suddenly filled him with confidence. Glancing at the awe-inspiring monster, he thought he could detect the faintest trace of a smile spread across its pale, gleaming face.

"You have spoken bravely, Benjamin Hale. You have chosen to fight for the well-being of others above yourself; a most commendable characteristic," the shimmering entity said. Hearing this remark, Ben felt sincerely grateful for the creature’s trust in him. However it didn’t change the fact that he didn’t feel particularly qualified. The radiant being continued, "I sense the hesitation in you, Benjamin Hale; however I am afraid I cannot be of direct assistance and intervention in your task. Forces are working against each other, to tear each other apart as you have so witnessed. To prevent this calamity I will have to call upon all vestiges of my power; a task that however cannot be accomplished without your help, young one.”

"The order of the Temples you visit will not be critical, but it is imperative you overcome the obstacles in each and bring back the keys to this location. You will understand what is meant by this, Benjamin, but I must warn you that the keys will not come willingly," the wise quadruped cautioned and Ben nodded, signaling that he had suspected as much. "That said... there are a few things I can do for you."

At that moment, Ben felt the Pokeballs in his fibre tote bag begin to bump and jostle into each other. He quickly peered into the borrowed pack and bolted with surprise when he spied his various capture capsules emitting a peculiar glow. Eyes wide, Ben watched them bump and wriggle for a few moments, until the aura eventually faded and disappeared.

"Your invaluable comrades have been restored fully for the task you have been entrusted," the regal guardian explained. Ben bowed respectfully in appreciation As he righted himself, a mixture of light and dark began to swirl above his left hand. He brought his glowing palm closer to his face, and stared at the congealing energy masses. They wasted no time in solidifying into a disc shaped object that seemed to Ben to be alive; the black and white portions mimicking the ever-changing phases of the moon.

"This Lunar Amulet will be your tool in handling the keys. Once the keys have been sufficiently subdued, present the Lunar Amulet. The Amulet will do the rest," added the dazzling creature and Ben stared at the proffered gift, half-wondering, half-marveling at the trinkets significance. "As for the identity of these keys, they will make themselves known. You will know what to do, Benjamin... and above all, do not fret about your own ability."

As the celestial creature vanished in a brilliant display of light and energy, Ben found himself alone once again in the silent, deserted public forum of ancient Lacnua City. For a moment he stood there unmoving in the nightdarkness. His mind raced as he reflected on the Legendary Pokemon’s counsel and instructions. Sighing quietly, he stared absentmindedly at the ground. After a moment he lifted his hand once again and gazed at the Lunar Amulet. Slipping its loop over his head, he let the amulet fall to his chest. It gave off a tiny, melancholy clink as it knocked against the obsidian claw pendant Ikira had given him earlier, and Ben once again felt the magnitude of this weighty mission.

He had genuinely hoped the mystical being would have agreed to go with him. Clearly it had been a powerful creature and undoubtedly would have been a valuable partner. Deep down inside though, he felt that he had known all along that this task was something he had to do alone. The ethereal entity had said he would know what to do, he would just have to trust that. Just as the feelings of worry and concern started to flood through once again, his thoughts drifted to his Pokemon companions -- now fighting fit in their Pokeballs -- and the bond he shared each of them. His spirits lifted as he realized that he wouldn’t have to do this alone after all. Grinning, he set off at a light trot for the Moon Temple, the pokeballs containing his friends clicking in his bag with each step he took.

* * *

In the dead of night a solitary figure raced through the deserted streets of the ancient city of Lacuna, silent except for the sound of his own footfalls and the accompanying clink of the Pokeballs in his borrowed bag. As he passed empty mud-brick house after empty mud-brick house, the Trainer Benjamin Hale felt the sorrow and loss that hung over the once-thriving civilization like a thick fog. Having drawn strength from the bond of his Pokemon comrades, Ben tried desperately to push the thoughts of sadness and hopelessness away. Resolved now to the fact that he was going to see his appointed task through to completion, no matter the cost, he picked up his pace, opting instead to push himself to run faster in an effort to reach the Moon Temple that much quicker.

How he ever found the majestic Moon Temple on his own, with little light to see by, on his first attempt, he never figured out. Ben had never been one to believe in coincidences so he simply chalked it up to the Legendary Pokemon’s prophetic words that ”…you will know what to do, Benjamin.” He stopped abruptly as he rounded the bend leading to the Sauros’ shrine, because his grey-green eyes suddenly fell on a shaft of pale light bathing the stately structure in a faint blue hue. Mixed with the blue light, he saw traces of green, and his mind immediately flashed back to the aura that had emanated from the crescenty creature he had encounter earlier.

As he scrambled up the stairs leading to the inner sanctum, it seemed to him that the light was beckoning him, guiding him on, illuminating his path. He quickly raced down the familiar, marbled hallways, everything in the building awash in the glimmering green. When he finally arrived at the junction, he bypassed the hallway to the training grounds, and continued straight ahead, all the while wondering just what he would find at its end. As he neared the arched doorway he slowed down a bit, and entered the cavernous room at a trot.

As he surveyed what he suspected must be the Moon Temple’s central chamber with his grey-green eyes, he realized that this must be the place the Lacunas congregate to hear the teaching and instruction of their religious guides. Continuing to scan the room, he suddenly bolted in shock when he spied a pair of figures in the room. These were the first two living things he had seen since the disappearance of all the Lacunas a while ago. He rubbed his eyes, wanting to be sure he wasn’t seeing things or just imagining them. There was no mistaking that they were real however, and as they turned to face him, Ben received his biggest shock yet, when they revealed themselves to be none other than the blue-haired boy and Ikira herself. Ben noticed immediately that something was different about them. The two people that stood in front of him now wore blank expressions on their faces, and moved with the halting, faltering-shuffling movements of zombies. He watched wide-eyed as they, silently and simultaneously, sent out their Pokemon. From the aggressive stances the Clefairy and Roselia took, Ben could tell they clearly were looking to battle.

Ben wasted no time in pulling out two Pokeballs of his own. The unmistakable metallic Steel Ball of the Meditite Medeo, and the Pineco Forteo’s festive half-green, half-red Christmas ball. Pressing the round trigger switches in the center of each sphere, he released his companions. “Look sharp, mates.” he cautioned, and out of the corner of his eye he noticed that Medeo gave a little start at seeing the zombie-like Ikira. To his credit, the Yoga Pokemon recovered quickly and adopted the Gyarados Sweeps His Tail defensive kung fu posture.

“Keep your cool, Medeo.” Ben advised. “Something’s happened to our friend. We’ve got to try to help her. Ready?” he asked the little Pineco and lithe Meditite. Forteo spun around merrily, while Medeo nodded solemnly. Both fixed their opponents with steely gazes. Dragging a hand through his short, brown hair Ben thought hard to come up with a strategy. After a moment of consideration, he issued his instructions. “Teamwork, now mates. Medeo try to FAKE OUT Roselia. Forteo, try to take advantage of the temporary stunning Medeo creates -- be ready to back him up with two quick BUG BITES to Roselia. Medeo, wait until you get a clean shot, then hit Clefairy with an ENERGY BALL. Both of you be ready to defend with PROTECT. Be on your guard, especially if Clefairy tries to use Follow Me.”

Hayward
With your purpose quickly ascertained, you promptly release fighters of your own in swift response with orders on the side; Medeo taking a moment to get over the surprise of facing Ikira. Seconds tick by tersely as the four Pok&#233;mon glare each other down, before Medeo charges in first for a quick Fake Out, slapping Roselia by the side of his head. The shorter-cloaked thorn tumbles to the ground, but other than a soft grunt it appears as unfeeling as its trainer. Clefairy, in the meantime, begins to Growl at your Pok&#233;mon; her voice laced with rough decibels, causing them to briefly shudder. Hopping into the fray, Forteo goes in for a Bug Bite onto Roselia, tasting plant juice as his hidden teeth come down, but you notice that somehow the impact appears to be reduced.

Suddenly flinging Forteo off with surprising strength, Roselia brings a blade of Grass to his mouth, gently blowing to create a calming Whistle tune as Clefairy rolls up in a Defence Curl. Instantly Forteo and Medeo start to get wobbly on their lower limbs, and even as Medeo tries forming an Energy Ball between his palms sleep inevitably creeps into his eyelids, and he fumbles the botanic bomb halfway through, releasing it as he collapses to the ground snoring away. The viridian orb goes flying, slamming into the balled fairy, drawing a muffled squeak out of her as she reveals herself. Tottering forward, you're shocked as Clefairy begins a Wake-Up Slap on your snoozing Meditite; her palm going back and forth as she smacks Medeo silly on the face. It only takes the first instance of impact for Medeo to awaken, though Clefairy continues the onslaught of abusing his cheeks before delivering a final palm thrust, tossing Medeo back from the force. Sorely, Medeo massages his face where Clefairy has left her red handprints, but with no other moves to withstand against he can only gaze at his opponent with a pained look in his eye. With Medeo taught a rather stingy lesson and Forteo still sleeping, things don't seem to be going so well for you...

Food Guy
Noting the dangers of falling under status conditions, you command Dot to kick in her Safeguard, to which the Ledian gladly complies. A shimmering series of energy rings rise up from below Dot's shadow, surrounding her insectine form and giving her a faint glow. This, however, leaves Skorupi free to perform its next move; a Pin Missile storm fired from the tips of its claws and stinger. The needles of Bug-type power smash against Dot, but the painful jabbing aside you notice that little detriment has been apparently inflicted upon your Pokémon.

Slightly miffed at the sneaky manouvre of her foe, Dot proceeds to go on with her turn, arms swinging in for a Comet Punch hurricane. The blows come raining down onto Skorupi, battering it like hailstones, but a yelp from Dot catches your attention: seemingly, as she swung a knuckle at it, Skorupi dove in for a timely Bite to Dot's hand, crushing down like a man-trap. Screaming in sharp agony, Dot flails as best she can to get the irritating insect off, eventually bumping it repeatedly against the ground to shake off Skorupi. Clutching her hand in apparent fear, Dot trembles as she massages her hurt arm ruefully, and you notice a couple of things: the first being Dot's painfully flinched expression, and the second being the oddly severe injury dealt to her hand -- even given the scenario it looks far too strong for a Skorupi bite. Possibly... could it be Skorupi's Sniper ability, you wonder, but Skorupi is making hay while the sun shines. A jab in its arms again with a second bout of Acupressure, and you somehow sense that with this poke, Skorupi's eyesight seems to have become sharper, as though its accuracy took a boost this time...

Dot fired up her Safeguard, resulting in a series of rings surrounding her body and giving her a faint glow. But this gave the Skorupi an opening to attack, which it took. A storm of pins shot out of the poison/dark type's claws and stinger as it executed its Pin Missle attack. As they rained down upon Dot they did nothing more than one of her earlier attacks against Skorupi.

Dot glared at her opponent, miffed that it took an opening to attack her (even though she would have done the same), before she zoomed towards Skorupi. She swung her fists at it, starting her [B]Comet Punch[/B} attack, and started to pummel it. But suddenly Karmas heard a yelp of pain.

What was that? he thought until he saw Dot.

Once again Skorupi was latched onto a part of Dot's body, but this time it was one of her fists. The ladybug pokemon was screaming her head off, resorting to hitting Skorupi against the ground to get it off. Soon, though, it detached itself and Karmas noticed two things about Dot. The first was that she had an expression on her face that suggested flinching, and the second thing was the injury that had been dealt to Dot. It seemed to be a lot worse than it should have been.

Maybe the Skorupi has Sniper as its ability? wondered Karmas.

As Karmas was thinking he noticed that Skorupi had applied another Acupressure attack on itself, and this time it seemed that its accuracy had also increased.

"Okay Dot, you can still win this!" called out Karmas. "You just need to attack it from afar."

Dot turned and looked at her trainer with a look that suggested 'Why didn't you think of that earlier?'

"Alrighty then," started Karmas, "Start off with Reflect, follow it up with a Supersonic and then finish it off with a Silver Wind

Food Guy
Looking at you briefly with a mildly annoyed expression on her face, Dot starts focusing psychic power through her palms, shaking a little as the energy goes through her pained hand, but summoning up a panel of Reflect all the same. The technique comes just in time as Skorupi fires another Poison Sting from its mouth; the toxic needles colliding with Dot's protective screen before falling to the floor in little clatters. Glaring at the rather infuriating bug, Dot's wings begin beating up a second Supersonic, causing confusing waves to echo about the chamber once more. This catches the little scorpion unawares once more, and it doesn't take long for spirals to set into its eyes once more.

Smirking slightly at her befuddled opponent, Dot begins another round of flapping her wings, but this time she focuses on releasing insectoid energy from them instead of sound waves. A glittery gust of Silver Wind flies from beneath her chitin guards, arcing into a pair of zephyrs, slicing over Skorupi and... upon further inspection, not really seeming to deal effective damage. However, a glance towards Dot reveals that some of the energies she released appear to have surrounded her, and even as you watch on she appears to have a spring in her flight, and her body seems to have become slightly stronger while Skorupi claws itself in utter obfustication...

Stark
Peering behind you enough to briefly extend your field of vision, you halt midway in your question when you realise that Carolina isn't within that relevant area. As a matter of fact, your senses have not been sending back messages of Carolina's presence for quite a while, but the sounds of Houndour barking and Raticate screeching soon pull your attention back where it's most needed. Arcing her spine to assume a more intimidating stance, Houndour aims a Leer into Raticate's eyes, but in the overgrown rodent's rage it's impossible to tell if it got through at all.

"Shred it, Raticate! Facade!"

Taking on a yellow aura, Raticate tears at Houndour with unbridled anger; his technique boosted by his offensive power and glaring injury. Crashing into your Pokémon like a bullet train, Raticate gives your canine girl a taste of what he's had to go through, and Houndour is sent tumbling to your feet from the force. Whimpering from the pain, Houndour scrabbles back to her four feet, glaring daggers at her foe but not without some wince out of agony. Another screech is heard as Raticate comes with his Hyper Fangs glinting against the light; however a quickly deployed Dark Pulse from Houndour's maw soon puts the brown mouse away in mid-flight, leaving the turn to Raticate to play rolling to his trainer's feet. Much like Houndour just did Raticate regains his composure, but even as his teeth clacks alarmingly you see a nervous twitch mixed in with his stare; evidently, Houndour's attack left a big enough impression for Raticate to be flinched by it.

At the sight of her opponent's temporal inactivity, Houndour wastes no time as she goes forward, heading straight at Raticate's torso region with a Thunder Fang crackling in the works. A buzzing sound as fangs meet with fur, joined by another blood-curling yelp, before Raticate begins Flailing about to toss Houndour off. The Dark Pokémon takes a number of scratches and bites before she is finally wrenched from Raticate's form. As both Pokémon face each other wounded and panting, this battle as it stands could go either way, depending on who manages to land the finishing blow.

"Raticate, Dig your way out of this for a while!" shouts Lawrence, undoubtedly aware of the decisive scenario as you are...

Stark's hand clenched into a tight fist. Carolina had disappeared. Lawrence was intent on defeating him. And the psychotic looking Raticate had went underground. Things had gone from bad to worse far quicker than Stark would have hoped. He looked at Houdour. Her breathing labored as the toll of the battle was showing. She wouldn't be able to continue much longer and right now she was at a disadvantage. Raticate was no where to be seen and Houndour couldn't exactly fly up in the air to avoid an attack from below. Still, there had to be a way to find the rodent.

"Houndour! Use Odor Slueth to try to sniff out Raticate's location as best you can," Stark called out to his partner. He wasn't sure how well it would work, but if it gave them even a little warning, perhaps Houndour could avoid taking a battle ending hit, "Once you see it use Counter to teach it a lesson. Then try to finish it off with a Shadow Ball!"

Stark could feel the muscles in his body tense up as the closing moments of the battle drew closer. This was it. Either he would be victorious and finally get some answers or he would be left to hang his head and slink away in shame. Of course, defeating Lawrence didn't guarantee answers, but it would put him in a much better position to find them. Regardless, all he could do now was wait with bated breath as the closing moments of the battle ensued.

Food Guy
Looking at you briefly with a mildly annoyed expression on her face, Dot starts focusing psychic power through her palms, shaking a little as the energy goes through her pained hand, but summoning up a panel of Reflect all the same. The technique comes just in time as Skorupi fires another Poison Sting from its mouth; the toxic needles colliding with Dot's protective screen before falling to the floor in little clatters. Glaring at the rather infuriating bug, Dot's wings begin beating up a second Supersonic, causing confusing waves to echo about the chamber once more. This catches the little scorpion unawares once more, and it doesn't take long for spirals to set into its eyes once more.

Smirking slightly at her befuddled opponent, Dot begins another round of flapping her wings, but this time she focuses on releasing insectoid energy from them instead of sound waves. A glittery gust of Silver Wind flies from beneath her chitin guards, arcing into a pair of zephyrs, slicing over Skorupi and... upon further inspection, not really seeming to deal effective damage. However, a glance towards Dot reveals that some of the energies she released appear to have surrounded her, and even as you watch on she appears to have a spring in her flight, and her body seems to have become slightly stronger while Skorupi claws itself in utter obfustication...

Dot closed her eyes and started to focus psychic energy through her palms, wincing as the energy passed through her injured hand. Dot threw her hands forward and a barrier was summoned in front of her. she executed this just in time, for Skorupi had fired another Poison Sting attack out of its mouth. The needles smashed into Dot's barrier and just fell to the ground. Dot glared at Skorupi before she started to beat her wings. The Ledian's Supersonic attack was successful, proven when spiral once again formed in Skorupi's eyes.

Dot smirked at her opponent before she started to flap her wings again, but this time she was interested in releasing insectoid energy rather than sound waves. A silvery powder began to gust out from underneath Dot's chitin guards and headed towards Skorupi, arcing into a pair of zephyrs along the way. They sliced into Skorupi, but upon closer inspection it did little damage, but Dot seemed to be surrounded by some of the energies that she released. The ladybug pokemon seemed to be springier and she just looked stronger, while Skorupi was clawing itself in confusion.

"Yes," said Karmas as he looked at Dot, "Using Silver Wind may bot have done much damage to Skorupi but it raised her stats!"

Watermelon, who was at his trainer's side, looked at Karmas, impatient for the battle to end so that they could move on.

"Wait," said Karmas before he gave Dot her orders. "Dot, use Tackle, and then give it a double dose of Comet Punch!"

Food Guy
Keen to continue your pursuit of the Sphinx's wealth, you order a fresh set of commands for Dot, who eagerly dives in with her boosted agility. Making contact before Skorupi can react at all, Dot executes a forward Tackle that promptly sends Skorupi rolling back through the dirt. Somehow managing to right itself, the desert scorpion shakes its head vigorously, but from the way it unsteadily totters it's obvious that confusion is still plaguing its little head. Not wanting to give Skorupi any chance of recovery, Dot flitters over to the smaller insect and begins hammering its back with a furious Comet Punch, literally raining blows on the hapless arachnid. Under Dot's administering it doesn't take long for pronounced bruises to appear on Skorupi, though as Dot raises her four hands to pause for breath Skorupi surprises the lot of you, jumping up and landing a Bite on Ledian's upper right hand this time. Shrieking at the unexpected affront, Dot promptly drives her inflicted fist into the ground; this second Comet Punch jarring Skorupi's head against the packed sediments and handily, holding the bug in place as Dot's other knuckles start wildly pummelling her opponent in a bid to force the living montrap to let go. As this rather brutal display of power goes on, you and Watermelon can't help but sweatdrop a little as Dot continues with an almost animalistic expression on her face, desperate to get Skorupi off her hand. By the time Skorupi finally gives up the struggle, the rest of its body is distinctly in an equally battered state, and with a crinkly groan it keels over. Level up for Dot. Ruefully massaging her pained knuckle, Dot shoots a last glare at the unconscious foe before flying back to you, and in your pressing need to move on you quickly advance through the passage ahead.

Another uneventful series of dashing through the inside of the Sphinx ensues, though this time you have a nagging feeling that somehow, the air has gotten a little staler and your echoing footsteps have turned ominous in timbre, and an impression of doubt begins floating in your mind -- the Sphinx certainly didn't seem as big on the outside. While your mind deliberates over this oddity, an alert shout from your Pok&#233;mon has you suddenly screeching to a halt: without you noticing you've reached the third chamber, nearly crashing into a waiting purple creature in the process. As you steady yourself the Pok&#233;mon opens its crystalline eyes, before its mouth widens into a sharp-toothed grin.

"Weh-heh-heh! Not too quick on the draw, are we?" cackles the Sableye. "You'll need to be a lot more watchful, though I'll give you that half the people who visit don't reach me. Whether you'll get past me... now, that's another story altogether, isn't it? Weh-heh-heh!" Pausing to chuckle to himself for a few more moments, under the somewhat irked gazes of Dot and Watermelon, the Darkness Pok&#233;mon finally stands up straight, thumping himself on the chest while clearing his throat. "Ahem. In any case, here's my riddle for you:

"My first is a person you'd see when you're sick,
My second a sound you might make when in pain.
My third is a letter you give when asleep,
Add up the clues and the answer is plain.

"So, howzabout it? Betcha can't solve this one!" Sableye grins smugly. Might you be able to prove him wrong?

ZoraJolteon
As you and Myria gingerly trot down the staircase leading downwards, you can only hope that Myria's uncovention hasn't determined some omnipresent fate you'll have to deal with later. Following the spiral formation where the Poison Sting must have gone, you make a pair of rounds further down until you find yourself in a circular chamber with three passageways leading further into this basement level. Glancing, you spot Myria's missile point aligned towards one of them, and without any intervention from your side you feel Myria tugging at your hair, clearly insistent you follow the path that she has chosen.

Little consideration given to other options, you find yourself going down the hallway, still accompanied by the strange illuminescence the walls have taken since the moment you entered the temple, and with every step you take you can almost swear that the glow has started to slowly, but surely intensify. While your mind dwells on this you suddenly notice that the passageway has ended, leaving you in a sizeable room decorated with marble pillars, reflecting the mysterious light onto the statue of a Tauros in the middle. Going ahead, you find that the statue in fact has been placed on a stand, marked with a plaque bearing the following words:

Suruta, the Bull
Guardian of Ground

While you're wondering what all this could mean, a voice suddenly booms through the chamber. "Surutan! Your presence is approved!"

Almost jumping from the abruptness of it all, you feel apprehension take you as the voice continues, "Fear not, Surutan. You who have been born under the constellation of Suruta need not be afraid. That you would come across my chamber, first of all the twelve in the Zodiac, is no accident. You have gained favour from Celeste herself, to be led to the chamber that blessed your birth. Celeste smiles upon you, young Surutan, for power is to be had if you would embark on the challenge to prove yourself against the might of the Zodiac. However, you first must undergo my test... you must defeat me if you are to continue on your quest, should you choose to embark on it."

Looks like you've been invited on a marathon of twelve battles, the conditions granted from Celeste no less. What will you choose to do?

"Which one of us do you think he's talking to?" Zora said with a smirk to Myria, whose Birthday fell mearly a week after his own. As Zora lifted an arm up in front of his face, Myria carefully untanged himself and turned around, climbing down onto Zora's outstretched palm as he faced his trainer, raising his blooms in an 'I dunno lol' expression. "So." Zora continued, "Looks like we've got some serious battling ahead of us. I wonder what our opponents will be like. The species seems obvious enough, but any additional factors... Oh well. We'll play it safe to begin with. Lets hope a Stun Spore is working as intended. That should buy you time to agument your abilities with Growth, then we'll go from there." Moving his arm further in front of him, Zora watched Myria leap out of his palm, showing off with a complex little twirl as he somersaulted down onto the ground, landing in a combat-ready stance.
"Lia!" he cried, ready to fight.
"Suruta, we accept your test and are ready to participate." Zora announced to the room, earger to see what came next.

First off, an apology to Stark for failing to notice his reply, as Food Guy had pushed it to another page and I didn't think to check back. Sorry about that!

Atlas City

The Market

Stark
Both of you terse with the rather definite nearing of the battle's conclusion, you're at least determined not to leave this battlefield a loser, and neither is Houndour. Pressing her nose against the ground, Houndour goes into her Odour Sleuth mode, relying on her keen nose to hone in on Raticate's underground location. A moment later, you see Houndour suddenly kick in the familiar crimson glow of Counter, just as Raticate comes bursting through the floor; his teeth clacking rapidly as their sharpness rips through the packed dirt, paving and other paraphernalia. Tumbling into Houndour like a cannonball, it takes a while for Raticate's Dig to kick in his damage before Houndour's rebound technique sends him diving at the ground with twice the velocity and pain.

Noting Raticate's discoordinated state, Houndour starts focusing a Shadow Ball between her jaws; the orb of ghostly power growing from the size of a gobstopper to that of an orange, soon developing to basketball and pumpkin levels. Pushed on by her anger at the rodent enemy, Houndour rears her head, chucking the bomb with all her might, which explodes against Raticate at Lawrence's feet before either of you can react.

A squall of otherworldly zephyrs bursts upon the Shadow Ball's impact, shrouding the alleyway in darkness, and as the winds tear at your form you briefly wonder if Houndour might have overdone it; you can't see even inches in front of you. All of a sudden, a swiping motion passes you, almost ripping against your clothes, followed by a merry giggle sounding about you. Gropingly you try to feel your way about the alley, panic suddenly seizing you as you realise your proverbial blindness in the spooky mist.

"NO!" Piercing the scenario, you hear Lawrence suddenly scream out, just as the shadowed wind starts to dissipate, but even as you squint through the fading opaqueness you sense that something is very, very wrong. Raticate remains lying on the ground where he was predictably knocked out; however the one responsible for his defeat is nowhere to be seen. Frantically you scan the entire alleyway, but Houndour is nowhere in sight, and neither is Carolina.

"I can't BELIEVE I let that happen! AGAIN!" Wrenching his hands in anguish, Lawrence surprises you with his sudden emotional display, but somehow you have a feeling it's not about his loss at your hands.

"She got away! For the damning FIFTEENTH TIME!" he howls, and you're shocked to see Lawrence face the wall, beginning to pound his right hand against the dead end; his fist clenched so hard you can almost swear to see the knuckles, and the impact at which he punches the wall is most cringeworthy.

It's clear that the battle's resolution hasn't answered any of the questions you have, and worse of all one of your comrades has now gone missing in action...

The Lost City of Axal

The Celestial Temple

ZoraJolteon
"You have chosen bravely, Surutan. As befits one born under the Bull!" booms the disembodied voice while Myria assumes his battle positions. "Trust in your strength, and victory shall not elude you!"

Having a good idea of what Pokémon you have been tasked to defeat, you prepare yourself for the predictable Wild Bull stampede to come. What you might not have expected, however, is for the Tauros statue to suddenly glow with a lightly blinding aura; the illuminescence lasting a few seconds before dissipating. At this, the statue begins pawing the stand with its right hoof, and it promptly dawns on you that while you're definitely fighting a Tauros, it seems you'll be taking on the actual statue that embodies the celestial entity. As the entirety of Suruta's statue comes alive, rearing on its hind legs while it bellows with its three tails whipping snappily. At the sight, Myria appears to shudder, and as you watch his little body shake in what looks like fear you deduce the Wild Bull's Intimidate ability kick in at the start of the battle.

Roaring to the ceiling, the Tauros thunders down the pedestal on which it stood a few moments earlier, bringing itself into a Take Down at Myria. Quickly, the Thorn Pokémon starts whipping up his purple and black blossoms, spraying liberal amounts of Stun Spore as quickly as he can muster, forming a veritable cloud in front of him despite his diminuitive size. Unable to halt or change direction in time, Tauros runs through the collection of paralytic powder, and as you and Myria dive to the side you see the avatar Suruta's lips curl in affliction before it crashes resoundingly into the wall where you had been standing near only seconds ago. Sweating slightly, you watch Suruta pull himself from the wall, chunks of polished stone crumbling to the floor from the points of the Normal-type statue's impact, and while this happens Myria begins to execute his Growth technique, gaining a couple of inches and an increase in special attack power.

Snorting while it turns to you, Suruta begins raising his Tails, but instead of targeting Myria you're astonished to find the Bull Whipping himself instead. A state of unease fills you, and this is confirmed with a quick check to your PokéDex: habitually, Tauros whip themselves with their tails in order to heighten their willpower to fight. Both of you are getting souped up for this battle, but exactly how will you hold your own from now on?...

Food Guy
Keen to continue your pursuit of the Sphinx's wealth, you order a fresh set of commands for Dot, who eagerly dives in with her boosted agility. Making contact before Skorupi can react at all, Dot executes a forward Tackle that promptly sends Skorupi rolling back through the dirt. Somehow managing to right itself, the desert scorpion shakes its head vigorously, but from the way it unsteadily totters it's obvious that confusion is still plaguing its little head. Not wanting to give Skorupi any chance of recovery, Dot flitters over to the smaller insect and begins hammering its back with a furious Comet Punch, literally raining blows on the hapless arachnid. Under Dot's administering it doesn't take long for pronounced bruises to appear on Skorupi, though as Dot raises her four hands to pause for breath Skorupi surprises the lot of you, jumping up and landing a Bite on Ledian's upper right hand this time. Shrieking at the unexpected affront, Dot promptly drives her inflicted fist into the ground; this second Comet Punch jarring Skorupi's head against the packed sediments and handily, holding the bug in place as Dot's other knuckles start wildly pummelling her opponent in a bid to force the living montrap to let go. As this rather brutal display of power goes on, you and Watermelon can't help but sweatdrop a little as Dot continues with an almost animalistic expression on her face, desperate to get Skorupi off her hand. By the time Skorupi finally gives up the struggle, the rest of its body is distinctly in an equally battered state, and with a crinkly groan it keels over. Level up for Dot. Ruefully massaging her pained knuckle, Dot shoots a last glare at the unconscious foe before flying back to you, and in your pressing need to move on you quickly advance through the passage ahead.

Another uneventful series of dashing through the inside of the Sphinx ensues, though this time you have a nagging feeling that somehow, the air has gotten a little staler and your echoing footsteps have turned ominous in timbre, and an impression of doubt begins floating in your mind -- the Sphinx certainly didn't seem as big on the outside. While your mind deliberates over this oddity, an alert shout from your Pokémon has you suddenly screeching to a halt: without you noticing you've reached the third chamber, nearly crashing into a waiting purple creature in the process. As you steady yourself the Pokémon opens its crystalline eyes, before its mouth widens into a sharp-toothed grin.

"Weh-heh-heh! Not too quick on the draw, are we?" cackles the Sableye. "You'll need to be a lot more watchful, though I'll give you that half the people who visit don't reach me. Whether you'll get past me... now, that's another story altogether, isn't it? Weh-heh-heh!" Pausing to chuckle to himself for a few more moments, under the somewhat irked gazes of Dot and Watermelon, the Darkness Pokémon finally stands up straight, thumping himself on the chest while clearing his throat. "Ahem. In any case, here's my riddle for you:

"My first is a person you'd see when you're sick,
My second a sound you might make when in pain.
My third is a letter you give when asleep,
Add up the clues and the answer is plain.

"So, howzabout it? Betcha can't solve this one!" Sableye grins smugly. Might you be able to prove him wrong?

Dot zoomed towards Skorupi, even faster than normal thanks to her increased agility. Before it could even react, Dot executed a Tackle that sent the poison/dark type rolling through the dirt. Skorupi righted itself, but it was still conflicted by confusion, obvious due to the fact that it looked drunk. Not giving her opponent any chance of recovery, Dot flew over to Skorupi and began to furiously hammer into its back with her Comet Punch. Soon bruises began to form and Dot paused to take a breath, but when she did do Skorupi surprised everyone by jumping up and Biting Dot's upper right hand. Dot shrieked once again at the pain from having the scorpion latching onto her hand. She slammed her fist into the ground, starting another Comet Punch, effectively holding Skorupi's head in place while Dot hammered her other three fists into its body. As Dot continued her onslaught Karmas and Watermelon couldn't help but but sweat drop as an animalistic expression formed on her face. Finally the Skorupi gave up the struggle and keeled over. Dot glared one last time at her ex-opponent before she flew back to her trainer, massaging her sore hand, and the trio started to walk through the passage that was before them.

The walk was pretty uneventful, being like every other passageway so far. But this time Karmas couldn't help but think that air was getting staler and that his footsteps were starting to sound ominous. The Sphinx didn't seem to be the size that it was on the outside. Karmas was pondering over this when he was brought back to reality by a shout from Watermelon, causing him to nearly crash into a purple creature. As Karmas steadied himself he noticed that he had gone into the next chamber without realising it. Karmas looked towards the creature that he had nearly run into and as he did it opened its crystalline eyes and its mouth widened into a sharp toothed grin.

"Weh-heh-heh! Not too quick on the draw, are we?" cackled the Sableye. "You'll need to be a lot more watchful, though I'll give you that half the people who visit don't reach me. Whether you'll get past me... now, that's another story altogether, isn't it? Weh-heh-heh!" Pausing to chuckle to himself for a few more moments, under the somewhat irked gazes of Dot and Watermelon, the Darkness Pokémon finally stood up straight, thumping himself on the chest while clearing his throat. "Ahem. In any case, here's my riddle for you:

"My first is a person you'd see when you're sick,
My second a sound you might make when in pain.
My third is a letter you give when asleep,
Add up the clues and the answer is plain.

"Okay," he muttered. "A person you'd see when you're sick is a doctor. A sound you might make when you're in pain is ow. And a letter you give when asleep is z. Doctor ow z. Doctor-ow-z. That sounds like..."

The trainer turned towards the Sableye before confidently announcing his answer.

Hayward
With your purpose quickly ascertained, you promptly release fighters of your own in swift response with orders on the side; Medeo taking a moment to get over the surprise of facing Ikira. Seconds tick by tersely as the four Pok&#233;mon glare each other down, before Medeo charges in first for a quick Fake Out, slapping Roselia by the side of his head. The shorter-cloaked thorn tumbles to the ground, but other than a soft grunt it appears as unfeeling as its trainer. Clefairy, in the meantime, begins to Growl at your Pok&#233;mon; her voice laced with rough decibels, causing them to briefly shudder. Hopping into the fray, Forteo goes in for a Bug Bite onto Roselia, tasting plant juice as his hidden teeth come down, but you notice that somehow the impact appears to be reduced.

Suddenly flinging Forteo off with surprising strength, Roselia brings a blade of Grass to his mouth, gently blowing to create a calming Whistle tune as Clefairy rolls up in a Defence Curl. Instantly Forteo and Medeo start to get wobbly on their lower limbs, and even as Medeo tries forming an Energy Ball between his palms sleep inevitably creeps into his eyelids, and he fumbles the botanic bomb halfway through, releasing it as he collapses to the ground snoring away. The viridian orb goes flying, slamming into the balled fairy, drawing a muffled squeak out of her as she reveals herself. Tottering forward, you're shocked as Clefairy begins a Wake-Up Slap on your snoozing Meditite; her palm going back and forth as she smacks Medeo silly on the face. It only takes the first instance of impact for Medeo to awaken, though Clefairy continues the onslaught of abusing his cheeks before delivering a final palm thrust, tossing Medeo back from the force. Sorely, Medeo massages his face where Clefairy has left her red handprints, but with no other moves to withstand against he can only gaze at his opponent with a pained look in his eye. With Medeo taught a rather stingy lesson and Forteo still sleeping, things don't seem to be going so well for you...

Having issued his instructions, the Trainer Benjamin Hale watched as Medeo darted across the raised platform and slapped their adversary’s Roselia on the side of the head. Momentarily Faked Out, the Thorn-covered Pokemon tottered and toppled to the floor with a dull thud. Medeo stared wide-eyed as Roselia’s lifeless expression remained unchanged, and Ben bolted in astonishment at the realization that their opponent appeared to feel no pain. Like trainer, like Pokemon, Ben thought to himself ruefully. It seemed to Ben that Roselia also displayed no emotion and had most likely been bewitched as well. Dragging a hand through his short brown hair, he thought to himself that this turn of events could make things much more difficult. He didn’t have much to time to think about it however. Just then a loud noise from the battlefield brought his attention back to the escalating fight.

Clefairy suddenly let out a menacing Growl that sent shivers down the spine of Ben and his two little partners. As the echo of the Fairy Pokemon’s attack reverberated around the chamber, Medeo nimbly scampered back to Ben’s side of the battlefield holding his tiny hands to his ears; a futile attempt to block out the intimidating sound. Meanwhile, Forteo wasted no time in taking full advantage of Roselia’s temporarily stunned condition. Moving in, he delivered a vicious Bug Bite to the Flower-festooned Pokemon. In retaliation, Roselia simply tossed Forteo across the room, and Ben bolted in surprise at such an alarming display of strength. Bracing itself for any incoming attacks, Clefairy Defensively Curled into a ball, while Roselia Whistled a Grass-aided tune that caused both Forteo and Medeo to get drowsy and fall asleep; but not before the Meditite had launched an Energy Ball that exploded on contact with its rolled-up Clefairy target. Unperturbed, the Fairy Pokemon untucked itself, waddled over to Medeo, and dealt him a number of stinging, retaliatory Wake Up Slaps that startled the Yoga Pokemon into consciousness once again.

* * *

In the main chamber of the Magnificent Moon Temple, the Meditite Medeo tenderly rubbed his reddened cheeks and regarded Clefairy with a pained look in his eyes. Taking stock of the situation, he turned his attention to his still-snoozing comrade. He jogged over to Forteo’s side and gently rocked him back-and-forth on his bottomspike, but the Pineco didn’t stir. Medeo threw a quick glance over his shoulder at Ben and shrugged. Pressing his two tiny palms together, he raised them to the side of his head, pantomiming sleep.

Ben calmly watched Medeo’s charades through his grey-green eyes. He nodded at the Meditite, then lifted a hand to his temple and massaged his forehead while thinking hard to come up with a plan. He had no idea how long Forteo would be out. Hopefully not long. Unfortunately, he hadn’t brought anything along with him from the future that could awaken the woody Pineco. He would just have to rely on Medeo until Forteo woke up. While Ben wasn’t too crazy about that option, he didn’t think he had any other choice. Ben grinned as he thought that at least the ever-ready-for-a-challenge Medeo would relish it. The small Meditite clearly held a type-advantage against both of the foe Pokemon and had mastered a number of techniques that could score super-effective damage on either of them. Ben knew it was just up to him to devise a strategy that would make full use of their advantages. He decided he would try to exploit Medeo’s natural speed and agility. Since the Thorny Pokemon had already taken two hits, Ben decided to concentrate on it first.

“D’you think you can hold on ‘til Forteo wakes up, mate?!” Anticipating the answer he asked the question anyway. Medeo regarded Ben with an indignant expression on his face that Ben interpreted as “Are you joking?!”

“Alright then, look sharp --” Ben directed his diminutive companion, “Don’t get cocky and keep your cool! Watch out for Clefairy’s Follow Me trick! DOUBLE TEAM to dodge, then keep working on Roselia! Go with a double PSYCHIC blast!” Medeo nodded and fixed his opponent with a determined stare.

Ben turned to the sleeping pinecone. “FORTEO! WAKE UP, MATE!” he hollered in a big booming voice. “You can sleep when the fight’s over! If you can hear me, when you’re awake, RAPID SPIN over to Roselia, and do a TACKLE into TAKE DOWN!” As he finished issuing his instructions, Ben sincerely hoped that Forteo would come around soon. A type-advantage was nice, but it would be a lot nicer if it weren’t 2-on-1...

Food Guy
As you proudly declare what you believe to be the answer, Sableye's legs appears to waver while his grin performs a one-eighty.

"I don't believe it!" he says, clutching the sides of his head. "You actually solved it! I had to spend three years thinking up that one!" Beginning to pace in his flustering, Sableye seems unable to handle how quickly his riddle has been broken, drawing coordinated smirks out of both Dot and Watermelon. "Oh, well. Rules are rules." Dusting his claws, Sableye beckons to you to follow it before disappearing into the stone doorway ahead, and following his lead you continue onwards with your Pok&#233;mon aside you. About five metres on, however, leads you to a staircase heading downwards, and you realise the probable answer to the query you had earlier: the Sphinx was probably constructed or created with an objective of tiring out wannabe explorers in mind, likely to dissuade the undetermined or weak from ever landing a hand on the monument's riches. The thought has your mind drifting towards your team -- having faced two battles with no opportunity of recovery, and with a prospect of ten more guaranteed battles ahead of you, it's certainly a warrant for concern.

You are ripped from your thought processes, once again, as your foot hits the final stair beneath you, leading into another battle chamber: this one darkened, yet illuminated by strange purple fire and cloaked with violet fog by the floor. As you step into the hall you feel a strange sense of pleasantry take you, as though you just stepped into a realistic representation of a dream. Just as you almost feel like falling asleep, however, you spot a glinting figure in the centre of the clay floor; long-nosed and gesticulating, the pinkish Drowzee smiles at you, and in that silent stare you feel as though volumes were just spoken in the Hypnosis Pok&#233;mon's quietude. Unless you deal with this new foe, you won't take long to fall under its spell...

The Moon Temple

Lacuna City

Hayward
With one of your team presently disabled, the pressure is clear on Medeo to stay alive while Forteo runs through the duration of his sleeping. Tapping into one of his disciplines, Medeo calls on the powers of Double Team, forming a pair of identical Meditite next to him, sharing wounds and expressions. Getting together in perfect coordination, the Medeo trio gather in preparation of what is to come, and indeed Clefairy comes running with her arms raised again. A Doubleslap comes against one of the Meditite, and a brief wave of relief washes over you as the first swipe from Clefairy dissipates what turns out to be one of Medeo's shadow fakes, causing a look of confusion to cloud the Fairy Pok&#233;mon's face.

Meanwhile, Roselia reveals himself from your boundary of attention, having apparently received about three centimetres in Growth while you weren't watching him, and before you can react in accordance the Grass-type sends a small storm of Magical Leaf at Medeo. Unable to withstand the homing attack, Medeo is flung backward as the charged leaves batter against his real form; the other Medeo fading as the lighting trick is seen through, but not before Medeo raises his palm to aim a Psychic blast at the offending Thorn. A sheen of shimmering energy rips from Medeo's fingertips, slamming back into Roselia who squeals in response, likewise thrown back from the super-effective technique.

Rising to his feet, Medeo charges up another Psychic pulse in his hands, but a sideways glance confirms what you've been concerned over since this battle began: a Follow Me display from Clefairy as the excitable Normal-type balances on her toe, waving her other hand in a beckoning fashion. Straining with the distraction manouvre, Medeo appears to struggle visibly before his palm can take no more, releasing its gathered energy into a swerving arc that blasts into Clefairy, throwing it into midair like a rag doll.

Panting from the exertion, Medeo glares determinedly at both his opponents; Forteo apparently having slept through the entire exchange. While your Meditite seems to be fine so far, you know only so well that he won't last forever against two foes...

Food Guy
As you proudly declare what you believe to be the answer, Sableye's legs appears to waver while his grin performs a one-eighty.

"I don't believe it!" he says, clutching the sides of his head. "You actually solved it! I had to spend three years thinking up that one!" Beginning to pace in his flustering, Sableye seems unable to handle how quickly his riddle has been broken, drawing coordinated smirks out of both Dot and Watermelon. "Oh, well. Rules are rules." Dusting his claws, Sableye beckons to you to follow it before disappearing into the stone doorway ahead, and following his lead you continue onwards with your Pokémon aside you. About five metres on, however, leads you to a staircase heading downwards, and you realise the probable answer to the query you had earlier: the Sphinx was probably constructed or created with an objective of tiring out wannabe explorers in mind, likely to dissuade the undetermined or weak from ever landing a hand on the monument's riches. The thought has your mind drifting towards your team -- having faced two battles with no opportunity of recovery, and with a prospect of ten more guaranteed battles ahead of you, it's certainly a warrant for concern.

You are ripped from your thought processes, once again, as your foot hits the final stair beneath you, leading into another battle chamber: this one darkened, yet illuminated by strange purple fire and cloaked with violet fog by the floor. As you step into the hall you feel a strange sense of pleasantry take you, as though you just stepped into a realistic representation of a dream. Just as you almost feel like falling asleep, however, you spot a glinting figure in the centre of the clay floor; long-nosed and gesticulating, the pinkish Drowzee smiles at you, and in that silent stare you feel as though volumes were just spoken in the Hypnosis Pokémon's quietude. Unless you deal with this new foe, you won't take long to fall under its spell...

"I don't believe it!" he said, clutching the sides of his head. "You actually solved it! I had to spend three years thinking up that one!" Beginning to pace in his flustering, Sableye seemed unable to handle how quickly his riddle had been broken, drawing coordinated smirks out of both Dot and Watermelon. "Oh, well. Rules are rules."

Sableye dusted off his claws before he beckoned for Karmas to follow him. The ghost disappeared through the stone doorway ahead and Karmas quickly followed suit. After walking about five metres the trainer found himself at a staircase that led downwards. As he walked down Karmas realised the answer to his previous mental query. The Sphinx was most likely created with an objective to tire out any wannabe explorers so that they didn't get to lay a hand on the treasures within. That thought made Karmas' focus drift towards his team, they had already battled twice and they still had ten battles ahead, and with no chance of recovery it worried the trainer.

Once again he was brought back to reality, but this time it was because he had hit the final step, which lead to another battle chamber. As Karmas stepped into the hall a sudden feeling of pleasantry hit him as if he were in a dream. Karmas felt like he just had to go to sleep when he saw a glinting figure in the distance. Long-nosed and gesticulating, the pinkish Drowzee smiled at the trainer, and in that silent stare he felt as though volumes were just spoken in the Hypnosis Pokémon's quietude. Unless he dealt with this new foe, Karmas wouldn't take long to fall under its spell.

A Drowzee eh, thought Karmas Now there's a pokemon that I'm interested in catching

"Okay Watermelon, you're a dark-type so you should have little trouble with this psychic-type," said Karmas. "So use a Growth then hit it with two Dark Pulses!"

As Watermelon ran towards Drowzee, Karmas pulled out a Pokeball (7 of 10) and waited to see if he could get a chance to capture it.

First off, an apology to Stark for failing to notice his reply, as Food Guy had pushed it to another page and I didn't think to check back. Sorry about that!

Atlas City

The Market

Stark
Both of you terse with the rather definite nearing of the battle's conclusion, you're at least determined not to leave this battlefield a loser, and neither is Houndour. Pressing her nose against the ground, Houndour goes into her Odour Sleuth mode, relying on her keen nose to hone in on Raticate's underground location. A moment later, you see Houndour suddenly kick in the familiar crimson glow of Counter, just as Raticate comes bursting through the floor; his teeth clacking rapidly as their sharpness rips through the packed dirt, paving and other paraphernalia. Tumbling into Houndour like a cannonball, it takes a while for Raticate's Dig to kick in his damage before Houndour's rebound technique sends him diving at the ground with twice the velocity and pain.

Noting Raticate's discoordinated state, Houndour starts focusing a Shadow Ball between her jaws; the orb of ghostly power growing from the size of a gobstopper to that of an orange, soon developing to basketball and pumpkin levels. Pushed on by her anger at the rodent enemy, Houndour rears her head, chucking the bomb with all her might, which explodes against Raticate at Lawrence's feet before either of you can react.

A squall of otherworldly zephyrs bursts upon the Shadow Ball's impact, shrouding the alleyway in darkness, and as the winds tear at your form you briefly wonder if Houndour might have overdone it; you can't see even inches in front of you. All of a sudden, a swiping motion passes you, almost ripping against your clothes, followed by a merry giggle sounding about you. Gropingly you try to feel your way about the alley, panic suddenly seizing you as you realise your proverbial blindness in the spooky mist.

"NO!" Piercing the scenario, you hear Lawrence suddenly scream out, just as the shadowed wind starts to dissipate, but even as you squint through the fading opaqueness you sense that something is very, very wrong. Raticate remains lying on the ground where he was predictably knocked out; however the one responsible for his defeat is nowhere to be seen. Frantically you scan the entire alleyway, but Houndour is nowhere in sight, and neither is Carolina.

"I can't BELIEVE I let that happen! AGAIN!" Wrenching his hands in anguish, Lawrence surprises you with his sudden emotional display, but somehow you have a feeling it's not about his loss at your hands.

"She got away! For the damning FIFTEENTH TIME!" he howls, and you're shocked to see Lawrence face the wall, beginning to pound his right hand against the dead end; his fist clenched so hard you can almost swear to see the knuckles, and the impact at which he punches the wall is most cringeworthy.

It's clear that the battle's resolution hasn't answered any of the questions you have, and worse of all one of your comrades has now gone missing in action...

Stark couldn't shake the chill running through his bones. Lawrence's pounding at the wall not helping put him at ease. Nor the fact that Houndour was missing. His eyes went wide as he looked everywhere for a sign of his dark puppy to avail. Anger surged through his body as the frustration of the events of the day came to a forefront. He had come as a tourist and had gotten a date or so he thought only to now find himself standing in an alley with a man who seemed even more distraught than him. Whatever the ghostly aura in the alley was, he was fairly certain it wasn't completely due to houndour. She was strong, but not that strong. Besides there was that giggling and the disappearance of his partner. Regardless, he was no longer here for a vacation. Then again, maybe that was the point. Maybe he wasn't supposed to be here as a tourist. Maybe he was here to help someone who needed it. Whether that was Carolina as he first thought or the man standing in front of him. Whatever the reason, Lawrence held the answers he needed and one way or another he would give them up. Stark's hands clenched into fists and soon released simultaneously with a deep breath as he kept his temper in check. Somewhat that was.

With long strides he walked up to Lawrence and reached out to try to grab the man, "Dammit! Snap out of it! You're Raticate is lying helpless over there and your standing here taking out your frustrations on a wall?!" he scowled at the man, "It's time we talk. You know what's going on here. Somehow you're involved with all of this and now I am too. Way I see it, that means we can either work together or I can try to beat the information out of you. Not something I really want to do since it won't accomplish anything other than both of us ending up ridiculously tired and ****** off. Besides, together we can accomplish anything we set our minds to."

Stark stepped back from the man and walked over to the brave Raticate on the ground where he began to pet the tired creature along its neck and shoulders as he kindly said with an intensity in his eyes that divulged the seriousness he felt, "So talk to me Lawrence. Tell me what's going on. Tell me about Carolina."

Stark
For a considerable while, Lawrence appears surprised by your response and display of concern, causing awkward silence to fill the alley while you continue gazing at him with quiet intensity, before he raises his head and draws a long sigh.

"You're the first person I've come across to ask about Carolina the way you have," he remarks, weariness distinct in his now mellowed tenor, "It'll be a long story, however; most of which I still don't know the details of... And it seems that night has come upon us earlier than we realised." Looking past the now activated street lamps, you notice as well that the sky has turned dark violet, and even the shadows around you appear to have taken on a sinister presence with the tropospheric change.

"These streets won't be safe at this time, even for experienced trainers -- the thieves here have their own backhanded ways of disabling their targets. Come with me; there's a shortcut from here to my place," beckons Lawrence as he recalls Raticate to its PokéBall, and with little other choice you follow Lawrence as he moves out of the alley. Making various turns and crosses along the paths, Lawrence pauses every now and then to glance around warily, ensuring the clarity of the coast before daring to move on. Soon enough Lawrence comes to a considerably battered door along a line of what appear to be abandoned shophouses, and the young man makes a couple more glances before rapping gently but sharply against the panel.

"Password? Password?" calls a deep, gruff voice from behind.

"I hear someone's been practicing their mimicry skills," Lawrence chuckles, knowingly to himself. "It is not always raining when the Grumpig squeals."

"Lawrence! Lawrence!" A pair of excited voices start to cheer as the door flies back, revealing a Chatot and a boy of about age nine looking excitedly at the older male in question. "Who's that?! Who's that?!" Chatot starts cawing, addressing your presence.

"Calm down, Chatot. He's a friend of ours," explains Lawrence smilingly as he brings you in with him, and as the door shuts behind you two you take a look at the inside of the building -- clearly, it's even more dilapidated than the exterior, looking as though it hasn't been used in years. Webs line the ceiling and corners, while dark grey smudges dot the walls, made stark by a single flickering light bulb dangling from above. Just as you get a general idea of how dank Lawrence's apparent lodging appears to be, you hear another bout of joyous interjection: from the staircase and what you assume to be a kitchen doorway come rushing down a gaggle of young children and Pokémon, grouped in pairs much like the shophouse's own security system duo. Soon enough you and Lawrence are surrounded by the young excitable crowd, and while you try to maintain your balance you're shocked to notice how most of the children are wearing tattered, patched clothes; some of their gear so worn even their patches have new patches sewn over.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet Stark. He's a new friend of mine," Lawrence introduces you, once he's got the youngsters to quieten down. "Say hello to Stark, everyone."

"Hello, Stark!" greets the kids in unison, with the Pokémon crying out in their own language to give you the warmest welcome they can manage.

"Big Brother Lawrence?" asks a girl, holding a Chingling in her little arms. "Did you see Big Sister Carolina today?"

The mention of Carolina has Lawrence heave a sigh and scratch his hair, and at once you see a collective gaze of apprehension wash over the youthful congregation. "I'm sorry, everyone," admits Lawrence as he shakes his head. "I saw Carolina today, but... I wasn't able to get her to come back."

"Awwww..." Once again, the children all react as one, bowing their heads in distinct disappointment, and even the Pokémon carrying sad expressions on their various faces.

"Don't worry, everyone. I'm sure we'll be able to ask Carolina to come back to us," promises Lawrence. "And, with luck, Stark may be able to help us out." This bit of news, in addition to startling you, has the effect of exciting the kids once more as they happily cheer with their Pokémon companions.

"Start dinner without me, everyone. I need to talk to Stark for a while. Don't let anyone in; I'll handle the door," states the young man. At once the children and Pokémon go into a flurry of activity -- some start grabbing plates and utensils out of old cabinets placed in convenient spots, while others head to the kitchen in little droves and return with trays of their final meal for the day. While the tots pass by you, happily chattering amongst themselves, you feel your heart sink another notch -- the dinner, on first glance, seems to consist of purely of leftover Berries -- some of them half eaten with evident bite marks, while others look as though they can't possibly be any fresher than four or five days.

"You see for yourself," Lawrence murmurs to you sadly, jolting you from your quiet observations. "The slums are no place to raise Atlas' orphans, but people rarely ever come to the slums except the unwitting and unaware, and hardly anyone knows we even live here behind these walls. This is one part of Atlas nobody ever really sees."

Leading you quietly into a room on the ground level, Lawrence locks the door behind you, inviting you to sit on a worn, yet sturdy chair. "I kept two of these in case we ever had visitors," he says, pulling up a chair of his own. Once you're seated as comfortably as you can, Lawrence gently cracks his knuckles as he begins his tale.

"Not everyone who comes to Atlas comes for tourism," sighs Lawrence. "As moderinsation moved in, we were slowly evacuated from the villages where we used to live. Most of them sought fortunes far away, while others came here to work for local industries. Out of the ones who came to Atlas, though, few ever managed to make ends meet, and the ones who did eventually left for greener pastures. My family came some years ago, but a lack of vacancy forced us to take up shop here -- in the seedier parts of the marketplace.

"Even then it still wasn't so bad; some tourists, intrigued by the bazaar's variety, would pop by and look at the jewellery we made, and other trinkets we fashioned out of local items. However, the landlords were the ones who truly made the situation unbearable, with their unregulated rental demands and deadlines. We saw many a family be driven out or pressured to extremes; some parents were forced to send their children for begging or manual labour, while others surrendered themselves as collateral so their children still had somewhere to go." Biting his lip at this mention, Lawrence continues with a choke in his voice. "In time, though, even these kids were thrown out, with nowhere else to call home, and no parents to turn to. Some of them were so young, they had barely started walking when they were abandoned." A lengthy pause follows, before Lawrence adds on another remark; this one so quiet and intense you can barely believe it coming from him:

"...It was five years ago when Carolina and I had our parents taken from us."

Shifting nervously in your seat, you feel a surge of compassion for the young man, whom only an hour or so ago you confronted and battled in an alley.

"With us as the eldest in the area, Carolina suggested that we band the other abandoned kids together and eke out a life of our own. Though it was difficult, somehow, we scraped by -- gathering leftovers, recycling trash, any odd job we could ever get our hands on to support the children," Lawrence goes on. "But about a year ago Carolina was approached, she told me, by a budding tourism organisation that was looking for young women as tour guides. Since then she's been staying away from here, usually for days on end, before returning with her hair dishevelled, eyebags on her face, and her clothes an absolute mess." Shaking his head at this, Lawrence cracks his knuckles again in his passive frustration. "I suspected something was wrong, but each time I tried to confront her about it she always avoided the issue, and we'd usually end up arguing with no resolution... much like what you saw earlier. A couple of months later we started hearing rumours about Pokémon disappearances after trainers went on a date with an attractive tour guide... and I'm pretty sure you know the rest. No one had any idea it could have been Carolina performing the thefts, but I found her out one night when she returned with spare, occupied PokéBalls by her waist. She's never come back since then.

"As you've noticed, I've attempted to track her down, and convince her to give up the job. But somehow she's picked up the skills of a master thief; maybe even on par with phantom thieves of yore," adds Lawrence. "Though why she's started stealing Pokémon is something I've never managed to figure out. She comes and goes like a wraith; usually her victims don't realise that their Pokémon have gone missing until they're outside Atlas' limits, from what I've heard. And I haven't the slightest idea where she might be taking them... if there is a clue, it probably lies in the city somewhere. But I can't spend long hours away from here, and not every day either -- someone needs to watch over the kids," he sighs.

"I know we didn't come off to a great start, Stark. And I know there's little but my word you have to go by," he addresses you. "But there's little time we can afford. By a few days your Houndour might have been whisked off to another faraway land, or kept locked up somewhere for who knows what nefarious purposes, and Carolina's trail might already be long gone. I need to get to the bottom of this mystery. For everyone's sakes. And I know I can't go this alone."

Looking to you with sincerity and desperation both in his eyes, Lawrence extends a hand to you. It's true that there's still a lot you don't know about the case, and about Lawrence and Carolina, but if you walk out on Lawrence's offer there's little chance of you ever seeing Houndour again...

The Isle of Talas

The Sphinx

Food Guy
Noticing the opponent's species and elemental type, you promptly deploy Watermelon to handle the mental trickster. A hand goes to your inventory, plucking out a PokéBall for timely usage should the opportunity arise, but even as you raise the orb you feel a shiver run through your arm.

"Karmas!" calls the voice of the Sphinx, warm but this time laced with the aura of caution. "Do not stray from your objective, young one. Fall not to the distractions that lie in your way; lest lose your path towards your true goal!"

As your limb continues to tremble, you realise that attempting to capture the Drowzee, wanted and shiny as it is, won't be an appreciated gesture within the walls of the Sphinx. Meanwhile, already focused on creaming this brand new opposition, Watermelon sends a Nasty Plot running through his brain, which Drowzee seems to meet with another inscrutable grin, as a swirling spiral seems to hover about its head. Consulting your PokéDex, you're somewhat dismayed to discover that Drowzee had executed a Psych Up in response; your investment required of Watermelon seems to have just made this match that much harder.

Glaring at his foe's unreadable expression, Watermelon taps into his inherited powers of nastiness; a Dark Pulse bursting from the equidistant point between his hands and flying towards the Psychic-type in a torrent of violent purple rings. The series of malicious power cannonballs into Drowzee's gut, sending it tumbling along the ground, but it doesn't take long for Drowzee to recover. All at once, Drowzee begins to yell in an unintelligible babble, at which you glance to Watermelon in confusion. Your Nuzleaf matches your own lack of immediate understanding, but even as you exchange glares you realise Watermelon is a lot more concerned at something else; try as he might he can't seem to get his second Dark Pulse going. Snapping from realisation, you conclude with a jolt that Drowzee just committed Watermelon to the effects of a Torment, thus preventing Watermelon from repeating his techniques immediately.

Too shocked to react and with no other commands to perform, Watermelon fails to notice the Gas wafting towards him, a different hue from the sleepy clouds about you, and by the time you realise it there is nothing you can do as your Grass-type doubles over; his face pained with the effects of Poison. It seems that with the riddles, even the battles have started to toughen up as well...

Hayward
With one of your team presently disabled, the pressure is clear on Medeo to stay alive while Forteo runs through the duration of his sleeping. Tapping into one of his disciplines, Medeo calls on the powers of Double Team, forming a pair of identical Meditite next to him, sharing wounds and expressions. Getting together in perfect coordination, the Medeo trio gather in preparation of what is to come, and indeed Clefairy comes running with her arms raised again. A Doubleslap comes against one of the Meditite, and a brief wave of relief washes over you as the first swipe from Clefairy dissipates what turns out to be one of Medeo's shadow fakes, causing a look of confusion to cloud the Fairy Pok&#233;mon's face.

Meanwhile, Roselia reveals himself from your boundary of attention, having apparently received about three centimetres in Growth while you weren't watching him, and before you can react in accordance the Grass-type sends a small storm of Magical Leaf at Medeo. Unable to withstand the homing attack, Medeo is flung backward as the charged leaves batter against his real form; the other Medeo fading as the lighting trick is seen through, but not before Medeo raises his palm to aim a Psychic blast at the offending Thorn. A sheen of shimmering energy rips from Medeo's fingertips, slamming back into Roselia who squeals in response, likewise thrown back from the super-effective technique.

Rising to his feet, Medeo charges up another Psychic pulse in his hands, but a sideways glance confirms what you've been concerned over since this battle began: a Follow Me display from Clefairy as the excitable Normal-type balances on her toe, waving her other hand in a beckoning fashion. Straining with the distraction manouvre, Medeo appears to struggle visibly before his palm can take no more, releasing its gathered energy into a swerving arc that blasts into Clefairy, throwing it into midair like a rag doll.

Panting from the exertion, Medeo glares determinedly at both his opponents; Forteo apparently having slept through the entire exchange. While your Meditite seems to be fine so far, you know only so well that he won't last forever against two foes...

On the raised podium battlefield in Lacuna City’s majestic Moon Temple, the little Meditite Medeo bent at the waist and rested his tiny hands on his knees. Doubled over, the faintest traces of fatigue were beginning to show as he inhaled deeply, trying desperately to catch his breath. After a moment, he righted himself and took one massive gulp of air before fixing their zombie-like opponents with his steely gaze. Ben spied the determined look on the face of his diminutive companion and offered a few words of encouragement. “Brilliant work so far, mate! Hang in there just a bit more. It can’t be long now -- Forteo’ll wake up soon!” Medeo nodded resolutely and Ben threw a quick glance at the napping Pineco. “You hear me, mate? Wake up soon.” he murmured uncertainly, in a voice just loud enough that Medeo couldn’t overhear.

Something had been bothering Ben since the beginning of the battle, and as he finished imploring the woody Pineco to wake up, he suddenly realized what it was. Not once had he heard Ikira or the blue-haired boy give their Pokemon any battle orders. Yet, Roselia and Clefairy fought on. He wondered if the glossy-eyed trainers were somehow communicating telepathically with their Pokemon. If so, maybe he could gain an advantage by severing or disrupting the mental link. Ben shook his head from side-to-side. Not a good idea. Suppose he did something to permanently damage his opponents minds? As he considered this, he vaguely remembered hearing about a place in a faraway region where Pokemon were left to battle each other on their own, with no directions from their trainers. It must certainly be a true test of a Pokemon’s skill, he thought, as a Pokemon’s nature probably dictated what type of attack they would choose, and would most likely change when the fighter’s health began to drop. How Roselia and Clefairy knew what attacks to use, Ben didn’t know, but he resolved to watch this round closely to see if he could pick up any hints about where they came up with their attacks. Either way it was a mystery; and maybe he would never find out the answer. He only knew that they had a battle to win, a key to find, and a civilization to save.

Turning back to the small Meditite, Ben wasted no time in issuing his instructions. “Try to blind Clefairy with FLASH, then use TELEPORT to dodge any incoming attacks from Roselia. See if you can reappear behind Roselia and hit him with a surprise PSYCHO CUT.” The plan was a risky one. Timing would be everything, but if Medeo pulled it off, maybe he could escape the round relatively unscathed. Ben figured the ‘attack avoidance strategy’ combined with the ‘sneak attack’ was their best option until Forteo came around.

To be on the safe side, Ben reminded his still-snoozing pinecone partner what the plan was in case he awoke. “Forteo! When you wake up, RAPID SPIN over to Roselia, then go with TACKLE into TAKEDOWN!”

ZoraJolteon
"You have chosen bravely, Surutan. As befits one born under the Bull!" booms the disembodied voice while Myria assumes his battle positions. "Trust in your strength, and victory shall not elude you!"

Having a good idea of what Pokémon you have been tasked to defeat, you prepare yourself for the predictable Wild Bull stampede to come. What you might not have expected, however, is for the Tauros statue to suddenly glow with a lightly blinding aura; the illuminescence lasting a few seconds before dissipating. At this, the statue begins pawing the stand with its right hoof, and it promptly dawns on you that while you're definitely fighting a Tauros, it seems you'll be taking on the actual statue that embodies the celestial entity. As the entirety of Suruta's statue comes alive, rearing on its hind legs while it bellows with its three tails whipping snappily. At the sight, Myria appears to shudder, and as you watch his little body shake in what looks like fear you deduce the Wild Bull's Intimidate ability kick in at the start of the battle.

Roaring to the ceiling, the Tauros thunders down the pedestal on which it stood a few moments earlier, bringing itself into a Take Down at Myria. Quickly, the Thorn Pokémon starts whipping up his purple and black blossoms, spraying liberal amounts of Stun Spore as quickly as he can muster, forming a veritable cloud in front of him despite his diminuitive size. Unable to halt or change direction in time, Tauros runs through the collection of paralytic powder, and as you and Myria dive to the side you see the avatar Suruta's lips curl in affliction before it crashes resoundingly into the wall where you had been standing near only seconds ago. Sweating slightly, you watch Suruta pull himself from the wall, chunks of polished stone crumbling to the floor from the points of the Normal-type statue's impact, and while this happens Myria begins to execute his Growth technique, gaining a couple of inches and an increase in special attack power.

Snorting while it turns to you, Suruta begins raising his Tails, but instead of targeting Myria you're astonished to find the Bull Whipping himself instead. A state of unease fills you, and this is confirmed with a quick check to your PokéDex: habitually, Tauros whip themselves with their tails in order to heighten their willpower to fight. Both of you are getting souped up for this battle, but exactly how will you hold your own from now on?...

'An animated statue.' Zora thought to himself. 'That places something of a restriction on some of our movepool, I doubt Myria could Cut through him. Although obviously he's at least vulnerable to Stun Spore, I don't think it's worth the risk of having to find out through experience if he has an immunity to being Poisoned.' Turning his focus to the immediate events of the battle, Zora called out his first command to Myria. "Darling?" he yelled, as Myria turned to look at him over his shoulder, ready to accept his next set of commands. "We don't want that nasty bull getting itself too pumped up, do we? Show him just how Charming you can be to calm him down a little, then we can get our offensive up and running. I think that a Petal Dance would be a good first assault to try and use against our foe!"

Hayward
Trying to match the considerably overwhelming odds as best you can, you issue further orders to Medeo, as well as the still snoozing Medeo in preparation. Not wanting to give the twosome any chances to gang up on him properly, Medeo quickly assumes position, his palm shining with energy once more. It doesn't take long for the light to focus, and in a moment a brilliant Flash emerges from the Meditite's fingertips, enveloping both Clefairy and Roselia in its blinding light. Temporarily deprived of their vision, the two Fairyshape Pok&#233;mon run about in uncoordinated rounds before bumping into each other with a thud, falling backwards to the ground. You are surprised to see both Pok&#233;mon appear to tear up a little, before a combined Uproar has you pressing your hands to your ears; Clefairy and Roselia's crying echoing about the huge hall.

Gritting his teeth against the sound waves going all around him, Medeo concentrates his powers into a Teleport across to where Roselia is while the little bouquet continues to bawl; his right index and middle fingers pressed together as he reappears. A burst of Psycho power rises from Medeo's fingers like the flame from a blowtorch, and in a diving movement he executes a Cutting motion against Roselia, flinging the Grass-type over to Forteo -- who, as you just come to realise, has become awakened from the sound attack that is still on going with Clefairy pushing her vocal cords. Looking rather miffed at the musical affront Roselia performed earlier, Forteo promptly digs into his opponent in a grinding Rapid Spin; scratching into the leafy cloak with his rough studs. Veering off into an arc, Forteo rights himself before altering his velocity forward into a Tackle, catapulting into Roselia like a rugby ball and beaning him across the face, but even as the Pineco skids to a halt it doesn't take long for him to come rushing back. White light flows from behind Forteo as he Takes Roselia Down, this time throwing Roselia into the walls of the nearby stands. The male flower impacts against the stone in a splatter of petals, dizzily attempting to get back on his feet, but it only takes a second before Roselia crumples to the ground.

Both Medeo and Forteo exchange pleased grins at this, but suddenly Forteo appears to cringe as leafy tendrils suddenly begin curling and weaving between his bark -- somehow, while he was charging back at forth at Roselia earlier, Roselia must have planted a Leech Seed on Forteo given the close contact. A few blips of green energy waft up from Forteo as he shudders, floating over to Clefairy as the remaining relevant recipient, who has ceased her wailing and has now taken to waggling her fingers again. Somehow, this time even you feel like moving along with her rhythm, swaying side to side in line with Clefairy. All of a sudden, Clefairy's nails glow like twinkling stars, and a moment later the aura takes up the whole of Clefairy's left hand, which she balls into a fist. Running towards Forteo, Clefairy launches the unexpecting Bug-type into a Sky Uppercut granted by her Metronome; the technique giving Forteo an aerial tour of the hall from five metres before he soon comes crashing down. Picking himself up painfully, Forteo bounds over to Medeo as his comrade glares angrily at the fairy that simply won't give up. Shockingly, Clefairy once again starts to wave her fingers, and as you feel the synchrony start to sink in you know this match could go anywhere, given the unpredictable nature of Metronome...

The Lost City of Axal

The Celestial Temple

ZoraJolteon
While the reanimated Tauros statue continues to apply the unique method of pumping up his statistics, Myria begins to apply some of the skills he's come to pick up himself, beginning to flaunt his sepia flowers in a Charming manner. Though the Roselia's size makes it hard for Suruta to immediately catch on, as the bull's eyes gaze downwards the sight of Myria strutting his stuff has a prompt effect on the Tauros; causing him to pause in his whipping and paw cautiously towards your Roselia. By the time Suruta has neared close enough, Myria suddenly performs a backflip, launching a veritable whirlwind of Petals out of his spinning blossoms that start to Dance about the moving statue.

Not having anticipated this sort of technique, Suruta grunts and bellows out of instinct; his hooves thundering against the ground while you and Myria step back to a safer distance. Somehow, even as the pieces of botany tear against Suruta's skin, you find that they don't appear to be doing added damage against an opponent of supposedly geological composition. You realise after some thought that in spite of the unique circumstances, you must be still fighting an otherwise normal Pok&#233;mon battle, and the standard mechanics of element still apply.

Snorting while he shakes off the swarm of petals, Suruta rounds briefly along a bit of the room's circumference before turning to charge at Myria; this time with his disc-tipped skull taking on a strange blue aura. While you dive to the side in time, Myria doesn't quite have the advantage of covering distances, and before he can get out of the way quickly enough Suruta has already picked him up with a Zen Headbutt and tossed him aside, flinging Myria against the pedestal where the statue originally stood. Painfully Myria stands to his feet, not down yet but having taken a rather significant strike nonetheless. You'll need to strike harder and faster if you want to stand a greater chance of victory...

Hayward
Trying to match the considerably overwhelming odds as best you can, you issue further orders to Medeo, as well as the still snoozing Medeo in preparation. Not wanting to give the twosome any chances to gang up on him properly, Medeo quickly assumes position, his palm shining with energy once more. It doesn't take long for the light to focus, and in a moment a brilliant Flash emerges from the Meditite's fingertips, enveloping both Clefairy and Roselia in its blinding light. Temporarily deprived of their vision, the two Fairyshape Pok&#233;mon run about in uncoordinated rounds before bumping into each other with a thud, falling backwards to the ground. You are surprised to see both Pok&#233;mon appear to tear up a little, before a combined Uproar has you pressing your hands to your ears; Clefairy and Roselia's crying echoing about the huge hall.

Gritting his teeth against the sound waves going all around him, Medeo concentrates his powers into a Teleport across to where Roselia is while the little bouquet continues to bawl; his right index and middle fingers pressed together as he reappears. A burst of Psycho power rises from Medeo's fingers like the flame from a blowtorch, and in a diving movement he executes a Cutting motion against Roselia, flinging the Grass-type over to Forteo -- who, as you just come to realise, has become awakened from the sound attack that is still on going with Clefairy pushing her vocal cords. Looking rather miffed at the musical affront Roselia performed earlier, Forteo promptly digs into his opponent in a grinding Rapid Spin; scratching into the leafy cloak with his rough studs. Veering off into an arc, Forteo rights himself before altering his velocity forward into a Tackle, catapulting into Roselia like a rugby ball and beaning him across the face, but even as the Pineco skids to a halt it doesn't take long for him to come rushing back. White light flows from behind Forteo as he Takes Roselia Down, this time throwing Roselia into the walls of the nearby stands. The male flower impacts against the stone in a splatter of petals, dizzily attempting to get back on his feet, but it only takes a second before Roselia crumples to the ground.

Both Medeo and Forteo exchange pleased grins at this, but suddenly Forteo appears to cringe as leafy tendrils suddenly begin curling and weaving between his bark -- somehow, while he was charging back at forth at Roselia earlier, Roselia must have planted a Leech Seed on Forteo given the close contact. A few blips of green energy waft up from Forteo as he shudders, floating over to Clefairy as the remaining relevant recipient, who has ceased her wailing and has now taken to waggling her fingers again. Somehow, this time even you feel like moving along with her rhythm, swaying side to side in line with Clefairy. All of a sudden, Clefairy's nails glow like twinkling stars, and a moment later the aura takes up the whole of Clefairy's left hand, which she balls into a fist. Running towards Forteo, Clefairy launches the unexpecting Bug-type into a Sky Uppercut granted by her Metronome; the technique giving Forteo an aerial tour of the hall from five metres before he soon comes crashing down. Picking himself up painfully, Forteo bounds over to Medeo as his comrade glares angrily at the fairy that simply won't give up. Shockingly, Clefairy once again starts to wave her fingers, and as you feel the synchrony start to sink in you know this match could go anywhere, given the unpredictable nature of Metronome...

Seeing the Clefairy waggling her fingers to-and-fro, Ben wasted no time in barking out instructions to his two tiny comrades. “MEDEO! FORTEO! Look sharp, mates!” he hollered. “Wait for Clefairy to make the first move, then both of you use PROTECT! There’s no telling what Clefairy is going to do, so we have to be ready for anything!”

Surveying the raised-podium battlefield with his grey-green eyes, Ben breathed out a grateful sigh that they had finally taken care of Roselia. Now if only they could get Clefairy to throw in the towel, too. Dragging a hand through his short brown hair, the teenage trainer considered their options and thought hard to come up with a strategy. The eager Meditite had expended more energy, valiantly battling solo while Forteo slept, and needed a break from the front-line fighting. But, if he used Medeo in a supportive role, Ben knew could still take full-advantage of the his diminutive companion’s offensive capabilities, while the defensive-minded Pineco engaged Clefairy in close combat. After only a moment of consideration, he settled on tactics that would coordinate Forteo’s melee combat with ranged support from Medeo.

Ben glanced quickly at Forteo, and felt grateful he had adopted the little pinecone before coming to Lacuna City. He was proving to be an invaluable partner. “RAPID SPIN” to get rid of Roselia’s Leech Seed, mate!” Ben directed the Bagworm Pokemon. “Then attack up close using BUG BITE!” Beaming, Forteo revolved around once on his bottomspike and merrily swayed from side-to-side.

Turning his attention to the small Meditite beside Forteo, Ben continued outlining their battleplan. “Medeo, I want you to provide Forteo with some long-range support!” he explained. “Go with a PSYCHIC blast and a VACUUM WAVE!” The yoga Pokemon nodded coolly and fixed Clefairy with a resolute gaze.

With Forteo awake now and Roselia out of the picture, Ben hoped that the tide of battle would finally begin to turn in their favor…

Hayward
Determined to give it their all and bring the remaining opponent down, Medeo and Forteo watch Clefairy carefully while her fingers keep on ticking. As the glow overtakes her body, both your Pok&#233;mon kick in their Protective abilities, each summoning a green spherical force field to withstand any offence that comes their way. The three of you look on while Clefairy continues shining like a clear rainbow, before forming a Barrier of her own in front of her, indication of her own increased defences. With the passing of Clefairy's technique, your Meditite and Pineco feel their own protection fizzling out without having properly kicked in for usage, shaking their heads as the feeling wears off. Gritting expressions at Clefairy, Forteo is first to move, charging in a Rapid Spin; his intense speed tearing up the vines holding his health hostage. Rattling into Clefairy by the side, he relentlessly batters the pink fairy, nudging her in place against her responsive flailing as Medeo aims a third Psychic blast from another angle. The focused spectrum of mental power curves to smash into its target while leaving Forteo unharmed, causing Clefairy to once again flop about the deck not unlike the doll modelled after it.

Weakly getting to her little feet, Clefairy barely attempts a few steps forward before Medeo lobs a Vacuum Wave her way; the priority technique slapping into her face and knocking her next to Forteo, who crunches a chunk out of Clefairy with his vermicious Bug Bite. Surrounded by damage all around, Clefairy tears her arm free from Forteo's unseen teeth, stepping unsteadily for a while before her pain and exhaustion synapses finally kick in fully, leaving her just fit enough to trip over her own feet, landing facefirst and failing to recover. Level up for Medeo and Forteo.

Heaving noticeably after the battle, Medeo and Forteo look to you with tired grins on their faces, but what immediately catches your attention next is the forms of Ikira and her male battle partner, both of whom have, throughout the entire exchange, somehow not issued orders to their Pok&#233;mon. The scenario of their defeat appears to trigger the same green glow earlier to surround their bodies, and before you can say anything else the pair abruptly collapse onto their knees, falling to the ground like stringless marionettes.

Alarmed, you make your way over, checking on their conditions, but aside from the glow fiercely burning about them their countenances are as lifeless as ever, albeit looking a little pained, likely from their defeat. A sickening lurch moves through you as you have a hunch just what the celestial quadruped meant by keys -- chances are, they're the ones lying comatose in front of you...